Take me back to the start
by Sandy1983
Summary: Damon and Elena divorced four years ago, when something big happened between them. Now, Elena lives in L.A. with a new man and a whole new life. What happens when Damon is left without any memory of the past five/six years after an accident and wants his wife back? Will Elena give in? Let's find out, along with Damon, what really happened between them...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** So this story is a bit of a gift from me to you, since I was proposed to last week. I'm getting married, everyone! Therefore, this story is all about marriage, with a bit of angst in it, of course. Don't worry, I'm too giddy to have it end any less than happy ;-) It's a bit of 'The Vow' meets 'Sweet Home Alabama.' Have a good one, everyone!

 **Take me back to the start**

" _Will you marry me?"_

Now, those were words Elena Gilbert never thought she would ever hear again. She'd been there and done that, and yet, the man sitting next to her in the car wanted to take the plunge with her. Liam Fuller was a Los Angeles businessman, who had laid eyes on her four years ago when she had been broken and alone in a city, which she had been trying to make her new home. He had charmed his way into her life and due to his influence, she was doing a lot better. After tonight, they were engaged to be married. He was perfect for her. The City of Angels itself had been kind; she had been given a book deal when her work was noticed and right now, it seemed as though some movie director wanted to make a film of it. It was a dream come true and yet, it all seemed very surreal. She had been very lucky and her life was back on track.

"We're home, sweetheart," Liam broke her out of her revere.

Home… Elena looked up at their Venice Beach apartment and briefly wondered what the notion of 'home' meant to her nowadays. Some building that held your stuff in it? A place made out of stone with tables, chairs and window sills? For her, home should be where you didn't feel alone. She had that right now. In her head, she felt like she had everything done just right. She had built a home for her and for Liam. And yet, in her heart, home was something different. She had been 'home' once, but it was taken from her all too soon. It had disappeared and turned to dust.

"Are you all right? You seem a bit quiet," Liam questioned once they had stepped inside their apartment.

Elena threw her keys on the table and sighed. She didn't know what it was as she should be over the moon right now. She had been proposed to! Why was she thinking back on the past? The past was the past; it couldn't be altered, so it should be left alone. For some reason, she couldn't leave it alone tonight. Was it because she had accepted a marriage proposal? Was she thinking back on her previous, failed marriage, hoping to do it just right this time?

"I feel off," Elena threw out there, as she plopped down on the couch.

Liam came to sit next to her and put his hand on her back.

"Are you having second thoughts?" he asked. "Was the proposal too soon?"

"I just… I don't know. I don't think that that's it. I've been wanting to marry you for some time now. It's… it seems like the past is haunting me a bit tonight. Something is gnawing at the base of my scull."

Liam seemed to contemplate this.

"Okay, well, that's honest. Are you thinking back on your failed marriage? Cause it's not going to be like that this time. I'm not him, Elena. I can promise you one thing; when the going gets tough, I won't walk away from you. Whatever happens in our marriage, I'll try to work through our issues with you and never let you go."

Elena swallowed something.

"Look, I know something happened in that marriage that is hard for you to talk about, but I will be patient. I will listen when you want me to listen. I will do whatever is in my power to keep you safe and protect you."

Tears burned in Elena's eyes and she leaned forward to hug Liam.

"This is exactly why I want to marry you. I don't have to worry with you and I know you will make me happy. I'm lucky to have you."

Liam leaned back and took her hand to kiss it gently. "No, Elena. I'm lucky to have you. Now, let's try and get some sleep. It's been quite the day and we've got a lot of people to inform about our impending marriage. I can't wait to begin the rest of my life with you."

Elena didn't sleep that night. There was still that feeling that refused to leave her alone. The face of her ex-husband swam in front of her eyes; his eyes hard and ice cold. Oh, how they had been different once…

" _Watch it, asshole!" Elena yelled as the man on the motorcycle breezed by her, completely missing the fact that she was on a pedestrian crossing and that he should have stopped for her. She went tumbling towards the ground as she lost her balance in his whirlwind. Her knees and hands scraped the concrete._

 _Cranky, and with a shake of her head, she picked herself up again and quickly crossed the street. She was on her way to work and she was running late. Her column for the 'Mystic Falls Chronicle' was due today and Carol Lockwood was not one for cutting slacks. She needed this job… it was her life. Writing was everything to her._

 _From the corner of her eye she spotted the motorcycle, which had almost run her over, coming back. It stopped right next to her and its' rider turned off the engine. Then, he took off his helmet…_

 _To say that the man riding the bike was drop dead gorgeous was an understatement. He had the most crystal blue eyes she had ever seen and his hair was as black as the night. Elena stood at loss for words as she felt like a giddy teenager. Wow. That was all that her brain could muster at this point. And then he smiled…_

" _I'm sorry, Miss. I spotted you too late. Are you all right?"_

 _Right, she should be angry with him. Angry face, Elena. Angry face!_

" _I would be if you had taken some driving lessons in the past," she told him._

 _His gorgeous face dropped for a second, before the charming smile firmly planted itself back on his face._

" _Ouch! All right, I deserved that. Again, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention where I was going. How about I make it up to you?"_

 _Elena frowned at him._

" _How?"_

" _Well, how about you give me your phone number so I can call you later tonight. We can go over your damages while I take you out to dinner."_

" _Wait. First, you almost run me over and then you try to pick me up? Not a chance. I don't even know who you are!"_

 _The man grinned and took her hand in his._

" _Well, I'm Damon Salvatore and I really, really want to get this right for you."_

 _Elena eyed him doubtfully. Finally, Damon held up his hands in surrender._

" _All right, I'll do it differently then. How about I give you my phone number so you can call me to inform me about your damages. We don't have to go out to dinner. Just coffee then. Think about it."_

 _Elena bit her lip to stifle a smile. He was a bit slick, but cute about it._

" _Or call me simply to inform me of your damages," Damon finally offered, a bit stumped that she wasn't taking his bait._

" _All right, give me your phone number and I'll call you.. Maybe."_

" _Do you have a pen and paper?"_

 _Elena reached into her briefcase and handed the requested items to him. He quickly scribbled down a number and gave it back to her._

" _I do hope you take me up on my offer. I was careless with you and there must be something that I can do. I mean, your knees are bleeding."_

 _Looking down at her scraped knees, Elena groaned. Right, she was going to show up to work looking like this!_

 _Damon was ready to put his helmet back on when he stopped to look at her one last time: "Wait, I still don't know you name."_

" _Elena," she offered without thinking._

 _He smiled that heart stopping smile again and at that moment they both knew… he had her…. and she had him….._

"You're getting married?! That's so great! Congratulations!" Caroline Forbes squealed once Elena broke the news to her. They hugged. "Liam is something special, Elena. You need to hold onto that."

"I know," Elena mumbled.

"So what's wrong?" Caroline asked as she let go of her best friend. "You sound a bit off for someone who is getting married."

"I wish I knew. Ever since that night that Liam proposed to me.. something's wrong. I can feel it. I just don't know what. Liam fears that it's him, but I know it's not. It's something else."

Caroline leaned back in her seat and frowned. "I don't understand."

"You and me both, Care. I've been wanting to marry that guy for weeks now. Now, it has finally happened and my body feels like it's twisting inside out. Well that, and the fact that I can't stop thinking about the past."

"Aha!" Caroline bolted upright. "So you're worried about this marriage working when the other one didn't?"

Elena bit her lip. "That's exactly what Liam thought this was. But it's not. I can feel that it's not."

"I don't mean to sound rude, Elena, but you're talking in riddles."

"I know. I wish I had all the answers, but I don't."

Caroline jumped out of her seat and pulled Elena up on her feet. "It's just some case of cold feet. Your other marriage came crashing down around you and now you're afraid to commit to anyone else. It's completely natural, don't worry about it! Look, I don't know what happened between you and this Damon Salvatore, but you need to let him go. Otherwise, you'll never be happy."

"It's been four years. It's about time to get on with it, right?"

"Right. Let it go, Elena. Everything will be all right. You're exactly where you are supposed to be."

Her phone rang at the end of that last sentence with a number that was unrecognizable. Elena thought about letting it ring, since it was no one familiar. However, something inside of her told her to pick it up.

"Hello?"

" _Elena?"_

"Yeah, who is this?"

" _You're a tough one to track down. I finally got your number through your publisher and they weren't so keen on giving it out to me. It's Giuseppe Salvatore."_

Elena's heart stopped at those words. That was Damon's father…

"Giuseppe? What….?"

" _Damon's been in an accident. I know it's been four years and you're probably wondering why I'm calling you to inform you of this. It's…. complicated. He crashed his bike out on route 49 and went into a coma a week ago. It was pretty bad but he seemed to recover quite quickly when he finally woke up. That was until it became apparent that he's missing a big chunk of his life. His memory is wonky. From what we were able to figure out due to his memories, he seems to be thinking that we're back to five or six years ago."_

Elena still didn't get it. She felt bad for Damon, but she was out of his life. She couldn't help him.

"Giuseppe…," she started.

" _In his mind, he's still your husband, Elena. That's why I'm calling you. He's desperate to get to you and he's even punched his uncle trying to tell him that you're not here. I've tried everything, but in my opinion, it's best if the two of you met up so that he can remember. You're the trigger here, Elena. If he sees you, maybe he'll realize how the marriage… ended."_

Elena felt her body start to shake. Her heart beat about a mile a minute as she clutched the phone to her ear. Meet up with Damon again? It would destroy both of them.

"I can't, Giuseppe. I just… I can't."

" _I understand that, but Damon is adamant. If you don't come here, he'll probably come to you. He'll turn over every leaf to find you, he's that hell bent."_

Elena let out a sigh and silently nodded.

"All right. But I just can't help feeling that once I get there, he'll be ruined for a second time. I don't want to see that happen again, Giuseppe. It took forever to glue my heart together and there's still a hole in it somewhere. I'm sure he feels the same once he remembers."

She suddenly realized something and her stomach dropped.

"When did the accident happen, Giuseppe?" she asked with dread.

" _Uhm, last Friday. Why?"_

A tear slid down Elena's cheek. She had felt it… the accident… it had happened on the night Liam had proposed to her. That's why she had felt off that night and this past week…. Deep down she had known something had happened to her ex-husband. The connection was still there.

"Listen, I'll come over there to talk to him, but I'm not going to stay until he remembers it. I can't handle that. It will just be this one talk to explain to him how we're not married anymore. I don't want to stick around to see it dawn in his eyes. I'll be there the day after tomorrow."

With those words, she hung up.

"What was that?" Caroline asked her.

Elena stared down at her phone.

"The past. It has come back to bite me in the ass…."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

" _You're going to do_ what _?"_

" _Liam…" Elena sighed. She had known this whole situation would be hard to explain to her fiancé. After all, she was leaving him to go and talk to her ex-husband._

" _No, Elena. You two are divorced. I feel bad for the guy that he had an accident that caused his memory to get all clouded. But for you to fly halfway across the country to go and talk him out of his delusional idea that you're still his wife… His family should inform him."_

" _They've tried, Liam! There's no stopping him, apparently. Either I go to him and tell him to accept the fact that it's over between us or he'll come here. Do you want that?"_

 _Liam paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair in exasperation._

" _Maybe he should. That way, I could protect you. You don't know what he's going to do or what he's like now. He could get aggressive with you or something when you tell him that you're not a part of his life anymore."_

" _Damon has never hit me," Elena suddenly felt the need to clarify._

" _All right, but I just…"_

" _Look, Liam," Elena started. She walked over towards him and took his hands between hers. "I'll be all right. If me being there in Mystic Falls will help Damon get his memory back and move on with his life, I'll do it. I know things that his family doesn't. I'll explain it and I'll get back on that plane to take me home. Besides, it would be nice to see my old home town once more. Just let me do this."_

" _I just wish I could go with you. But there's this deal that needs closing this week…"_

" _I'll be all right. I'll be back before you know it…"_

Elena opened her eyes after thinking back on how she had left Liam back at home. Luckily, he had accepted that she was going to do this. It would only take a few days… Looking out, she saw that she was in Mystic Falls skies now. The airplane taxiing towards a gate left her with butterflies in her stomach. It was real. She was here. Los Angeles had never felt so far away as she watched other people getting ready, happy to get off the plane. She wasn't. Picking her phone out of her purse, she texted Stefan, Damon's brother, that she had landed and should be out in the arrivals hall any second now. He had agreed to come and pick her up.

It felt surreal to be in contact with the Salvatore family now. When she had left 4 years ago, she had cut herself off from everyone. She had been desperate to start over without anyone familiar to stop her. Right now, her old life was coming back to claim her and with it came the pain… It was that pain that had caused the separation with Damon; they had both felt it and it had almost killed them both.

Her footfalls among these floors seemed haunting to her as Elena walked the halls of the airport. It was on these exact same floors, that she had run towards an airplane to take her away… anywhere.

"Elena!" Stefan's yell interrupted her thoughts. He stood in the distance, waving as he saw her. "Over here!"

She gave a small smile as she walked over towards him.

"Hey Stefan. Good to see you again," she made with the pleasantries.

"You too, although I wish it was under different circumstances. You look good. Different."

Elena frowned at that.

"Different how?"

"It was a compliment, Elena. I just meant that, when you left four years ago, you were so young. Right now, you look matured.. a woman of the world."

"Four years is a long time," Elena mumbled. "Years and experiences can change you."

She watched as Stefan's smile fell a bit. "They sure can."

"So how is he?" Elena quickly changed the subject.

Stefan took her suitcase and they walked towards his car together.

"He's as good as can be expected after an accident like that. He's still adamant about seeing you, though. When we told him you were coming, he seemed happy."

Elena gave a distracted nod. With each step closer towards that car, they were one step closer to getting towards Damon and their past.

"How did the accident happen? Was he speeding? Drinking?"

Stefan laughed a bit.

"Wow, you don't have the best impression of his motorcycle skills, do you?"

Elena shrugged.

"He wound up in the hospital without any memory, didn't he?"

"Yeah… well, he was distracted when driving. He had just been to Northfield…"

And there it was… She felt as if Stefan had slammed into her with a sledgehammer with that one simple word. She had hoped it wouldn't be brought up.

"He still goes there?"

"He does."

They got into the car together and drove off towards the hotel that Elena had booked for her stay in town.

"You know that there's no problem if you wanted to stay at the boarding house, right? I just feel like we're the ones who brought you here, so we might as well take care of your sleeping arrangements," Stefan told her.

"I can't, Stefan."

"Yeah, I know. It was worth a shot."

He smiled at her. Yeah, Stefan knew why Elena couldn't sleep at the boarding house. It would be too crowded for her. Apparently, Damon would be released today, as long as there was someone to take care of him. His family had stepped up. Her and Damon under the same roof was a bit much. She needed her space.

"So isn't there some girlfriend of Damon that can come and tell him that he's moved on with someone new? Maybe someone that can refresh his memory?" Elena changed the subject.

She didn't even know if Damon had someone in his life at this point.

"Damon has many girlfriends, but he lets none of them stick around long enough for him to remember them. He could barely remember them with his memory full intact."

Elena grimaced.

"We're here," Stefan suddenly announced.

Mystic Falls Inn loomed up in front of them and Elena wanted to head back towards the airport, feeling jittery. Stefan seemed to sense her distress and put his hand on top of hers, giving it a friendly squeeze.

"Look, I know we haven't spoken in ages, but I still know who you are as a person. I know this gets to you and that's understandable. If being in Mystic Falls is too difficult for you, it's not fair to keep you around. I already appreciate what you're trying to do for my brother. If you don't want to visit anyone else here, I'll drive you back to the airport."

Elena felt tears burning in her eyes. Her former brother-in-law knew exactly how she felt.

"I'm all right, Stefan. Thanks for looking out for me."

"So you're good?"

"Yeah," Elena smiled at him. "I'm good…"

Stefan left her to settle in and get a bit freshened up, but promised to be back in a few hours. He would check Damon out of the hospital in the meantime and get him towards the boarding house safely. There, they could all talk.

Elena checked herself her room at the Inn and flopped down onto the bed. The clock was ticking, getting ready for showdown. What would it be like to see Damon again? What would go through his head? Would he feel the pain again… or just the love they had once shared?

" _So you ended up calling me," Damon said, while walking around the streets with Elena after their date._

 _He left things open for interpretation, smiling at her._

" _Yeah well… Only to discuss the damages that you caused me when you knocked me down with your bike."_

" _Ouch! Really? So this whole candle lit dinner at a fancy restaurant could have been left out? I could have talked to you at an all American diner with fluorescent lights above us?"_

 _Elena did her best to keep the smile, beginning to creep up, off of her face._

" _If it had suited you," she said, as serious as possible._

" _Well, all right then. Let's discuss your damages. Are we talking bumps and bruises? Do you feel anxiety when you cross the street nowadays? Tell me what I can do to fix it."_

 _Elena rubbed her chin, thinking his question over with a frown._

" _Hmm… I'm talking physical_ and _psychological damages. I'm sleep-deprived and quite shaky when I see a bike."_

" _Okay.."_

" _So I think it's best if you fix it with at least 3 decent meals."_

" _Three? That might be the longest relationship I've ever had with a woman!"_

 _Elena laughed._

" _Oh, so you're one of those guys!"_

 _Her apartment was just a few feet away from them and she turned around to face her date._

" _This is my stop."_

 _The cheeky grin disappeared from Damon's face as he turned serious._

" _Look, I do mean it, though. I would love to have three meals with you… or more if your stomach can handle it."_

" _I think I can handle it," Elena returned his unanswered question with a flirty smile._

 _A thundering roar above them interrupted their moment for a spell, as they both looked up at a sky that seemed ready to rain down on them. After a few seconds, it actually did. Drops of water fell onto their faces as their eyes locked again, no words needed._

" _This weather is ruining my moment," Damon joked. "Come on, time to abandon ship."_

 _He began pulling on her hand to get her somewhere dry, but Elena stopped him._

" _Just give it a second. It'll clear up."_

 _Her hair was basically matted to her head and she was getting drenched and cold, but her answer to him let him know that the moment was actually just right to her._

 _They smiled at each other for a moment, before Damon carefully leaned in, capturing her lips in a soft and toe-curling kiss as the rain fell around them…_

A gentle knock on her door had Elena bolting upright in her bed, looking around in confusion. She realized that she must have fallen asleep. This whole situation seemed to be wearing her down even more than she thought. Gently, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got up, placing her suitcase underneath the bed so the room would seem more tidy. Considering the time, it must have been Stefan that had knocked, ready to take her to see Damon.

Another knock, a little louder this time.

"Who is it?" Elena asked, just to be sure, as she walked towards the door to open it. Just as she was ready to turn the knob, she heard a voice that caused her entire body to halt.

"It's me," he whispered.

Her heart began to drum in her chest as she realized that the only thing separating her from her past right now, was that door between them. How did he know that she was here? Had Stefan told him? Had he let him go and see her? How could he do that, knowing how she was feeling?

"I just wanted to talk," he spoke again.

His voice sounded so familiar and it would be so easy to open that door for him, except that it was not so easy.

"I can't," she voiced her gut instinct. "Not right now. Later, okay?"

She needed to be prepared. She wasn't prepared right now.

"This whole new life people keep telling me you have right now… These past four years that are blank to me… it all seems so surreal. But you know what I know is real? What you felt for me. I do remember you once told me that it was the most real thing that you had ever felt in your life."

Tears began to burn in her eyes as Elena put her forehead against the closed door, leaning against it with her eyes closed.

"Four years is a long time, Damon. You don't remember… and those feelings that you talk about… they're not there anymore. Not between us."

Silence.

"Then why do I feel like this right now? Why do I want to touch you and hold you? Comfort you?"

Elena felt as if a hand had reached inside of her chest and was squeezing her heart right then and there.

"People can tell me all they want. I know about your life in Los Angeles. I read up about it. I also know about Liam Fuller. But I just want to take one look at you to know if it's really over between us. Open that door, Elena," Damon pleaded on the other side.

She could hear him trying to pull the door open, but he didn't succeed.

"Open the door, Elena. Or at the very least step aside, because if you don't let me in, I'm about to break it down."

Elena gasped. Would he really? He left very little time to ponder that question, for in the next moment, the door went to pieces….

 **Author's note: What can I say about this chapter? Let the games begin! Are you ready for a Damon/Elena encounter?**

 ***Some sequences were taken from season 6 of TVD. They seemed to fit just right in here.***


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The reaction of seeing him again after four years was something unexpected; her heart pounded, her blood boiled and her knees were apparently unwilling to keep her up on her feet. With shaking hands she took in his crystal blue eyes, that seemed to almost plead with her. He was every bit as gorgeous as she remembered him with his dark hair and the five 'o clock shadow on his chin.

"Elena," he breathed in that exact tone he had used with her for years… the one that had made her do anything for him in the past. God, this was hard!

Not willing to let him notice her reaction to him, she quickly went into defense mode, eager to get him out the door.

"Are you deranged or something! That broken door is going to go straight to the bill once I check out of here, not to mention that they're probably not going to want me to visit them again in the future. How will I sleep with an open door?" she screeched.

Damon was still looking at her with those puppy dog eyes, but her tone had obviously surprised him. Good.

"Look, Elena. You can just tell the manager that I'm to blame for this. I'm sure they won't hold you responsible. I will even pay for it if they want me to, but I need you to listen here. I'm aware that I don't remember the past five to six years and that things have happened in that time that are beyond my comprehension. Judging by your reaction and your unwillingness to come face to face with me, I've hurt you and I'm sorry about that. Whatever I did that caused you to run far away from your hometown, I regret it."

"We've hurt each other, Damon. It wasn't just you," Elena corrected him, as she sank down onto the bed to listen to him.

Damon held up his hands in surrender. "Whatever it was, I feel bad about it. However…"

He paused to crouch down in front of her, eye level, as he continued.

"What I'm feeling right now, and I'm not talking about the past, I do mean in this moment… Look, I don't know anything right? The accident took years away from me and I woke up not knowing what happened to me or who I have become in those five or six years. There was one thing that I was very sure of when I opened my eyes, though… You…"

Elena swallowed something and looked away from him, just as he was about to reach out and touch her cheek.

"Elena, please look at me."

She couldn't though. She couldn't bear to look into his eyes, seeing how warm and affectionate they were right now. Once he remembered, all that would change. She had to remember _those_ eyes, not the ones in front of her right now.

"I love you," he continued. "That's what I'm feeling right now, so that must mean that those feelings never really went away, no matter what we did to each other. I love you and I can tell that there's still something there in your eyes."

Elena felt a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"We were married a long time, Elena. I've seen the best and the worst of you. I understood exactly who you were and I refuse to believe that there's a completely different woman sitting in front of me right now. You're still Elena Salvatore."

Elena got up from the bed and walked over towards the window, eager to get away. He thought that he knew her… that he knew everything that there was to know about her, but he was wrong. For he didn't remember the worst of her… the worst of both of them. He needed to go away.

"Elena Salvatore is long gone, Damon. I came here to help you cope, yes. But it wasn't just for you. I needed to make sure that you understood that we were over a long time ago. I can't have you coming into my life anymore. That's why I'm here. Your father informed me that you refused to believe our divorce and that you would come after me. I couldn't have that. Not with Liam. So now you know and I can get back to where I was. I'll get on the flight back tomorrow. Do not follow me."

Damon get to his feet and closed in on her again.

"What's the rush in getting back towards Liam Fuller? You two getting married or something?"

It was just a casual remark, but the look Elena gave Damon told him everything he needed. His face fell and his eyes went dark.

"I see," he grumbled. "I'm a nuisance then. An inconvenience to your upcoming marriage. You didn't come here to help me, you came here to help yourself in order to protect your future life."

Elena sighed.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you. That's not my intention. There was enough of that in the past. My rush to get back home isn't just about my marriage to Liam, it's about me not wanting to relive the past. I'm afraid that once you'll remember, we'll both go through that pain again."

"Can't you just tell me what happened? That'll save us a lot of time and grief."

"The doctor said that you'll have to remember everything on your own. We can't fill in your memories for you."

Damon gave her a blank look.

"What if I'll never remember? I will spend the rest of my life wondering what happened to us."

"Then you will go on to live your life and meet someone new. That's the way it has to be. Now, if you'll excuse me. I've got to warn the manager about my door."

Elena watched as he turned around, ready to back out the door defeated. He turned around one last time. "One day, what went wrong between us will be right again. We will be healed, I can feel that."

With those words, he left…

The Mystic Grill was packed; there was a semi-famous band playing tonight and almost all of the Mystic Falls population had come out to see them. Elena immediately placed herself at the bar and ordered herself a bourbon.

"Tough liquor for such a small lady," the bartender winked at her.

"What? Just because I'm tiny, doesn't meant that I can't hold my liquor!" she snapped.

The bartender shrugged, came back with her drink and she chugged it back in one go, leaving said bartender completely dumbfounded.

"You're not going to be able to walk tonight, you know," he informed her.

"I don't care."

She ignored the bartender and thought back on Damon. No matter how much of a jerk he once was, he was still attractive as hell. This man, who had a lot of inner turmoil underneath that hard exterior, but didn't remember what the turmoil was all about.

After about 4 drinks, a familiar face sat down next to her.

"Oh my God, Elena Salvatore?"

Elena grumbled at the name. For such a small town that always knew things about everyone, everyone seemed eager to forget how she and Damon had divorced. She turned towards the annoying person and came face to face with her former friend, Bonnie Bennet.

"Actually, it's Elena Gilbert nowadays. Nice to see you again, Bonnie."

"So how have you been? I've missed you."

Elena groaned. She had come here to get drunk, not to touch base with yet another factor of her old life.

"I've got a good life and I'm happy nowadays. You might have heard of me; Los Angeles picked up on my writing, I've got a book deal and now, they want to make a movie of one of my books. And I'm getting married again."

Bonnie's eyebrows shot up at that. "Really?"

Something in her tone irritated Elena. "What? Surprised?"

"It's just that I've always hoped that you would come back one day and make amends with everything. Far be it for me to judge after what happened… I can't imagine… But you ran away so fast. You didn't even confide in me and I was supposed to be your friend."

Elena bit her lip. That was a tough one to explain. It's just that she hadn't wanted to talk… to anyone. She had wanted to erase Mystic Falls from her mind and move on.

"I was in a bad place. Besides, I shouldn't have to apologize for getting the hell out of here," she stated.

"That's not what I was implying, Elena. Look, if it has helped you to build a new life, I'm all for it. I just wish I had been a part of it."

Yep, now she felt incredibly guilty. Damon chose that particular moment to arrive at the Mystic Grill, looking all hot.

"He's never really moved on, you know," Bonnie informed her, as she spotted what Elena was looking at. "He always put on this big charade with his women, bike and leather jacket. Underneath it all, he was empty inside."

Elena gulped back another drink, feeling it burn all the way down.

"And now he forgot. Sometimes, I wish I could as well."

The rest of the night turned out all right. She and Bonnie chose to leave the past in the past and caught up with each other. Damon was on the other side of the Grill, watching her from the corner of his eye. He was with his brother and they had sat down at a booth, eating burgers. Elena tried to ignore him and enjoyed the music played by the band. At one point, however, things began to get very blurry for her. She obviously had too much to drink and it was clouding her brain…

The headache was overwhelming and it had been a long time since Elena had felt this way. Rolling over in bed, she felt like her body had been run over by a truck.

"Oh, what the hell!"

Everything hurt inside of her and she felt horrified. Someone had taken her from the bar and placed her here…. In her bra and underwear! What shocked her even more, though, was seeing Damon asleep in a chair in the far corner of her hotel room. What the heck?

She rubbed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened last night. Bile rose up in her throat as it slowly came to her…

" _Why exactly are you here? You were discharged today. Wouldn't it be better to get some rest instead of eating greasy burgers in a loud place like this?"_

" _What's this? Are you suddenly acting like my wife again," Damon shot back at her._

 _Stefan remained quiet from his corner in the booth, but watched them in amusement._

" _Suit yourself."_

" _We just came here for something to eat, Elena. I'm not going to get him drunk. As soon as we're finished, we're out of here," Stefan explained._

 _Elena had gotten more drunk as the night had progressed and she had ended up dancing…. On the bar…_

Elena groaned. Damon had seen the whole thing and had come over to take her off of said bar, swatting off the men touching and ogling her. Had she cried at one point?

 _She was standing in the rain, watching the sign in front of her in tears._ **Northfield, 1 mile.** _Damon stood behind her, not really knowing what had come over her. This was why she couldn't be here. It broke her. It had broken him. But he didn't remember._

" _I'm in pain, Damon. That's why I'm in Los Angeles. I can't face it. I can't face it!"_

 _She dropped to her knees and buried her head in her hands, sobs wracking her body._

" _Elena, please. Get up from the concrete. This can't be good for you," Damon pleaded with her._

" _You don't know. You don't remember. Make it go away! Please, Damon. Help me make it go away!"_

 _Damon put his hands underneath her arms and hauled her to her feet, enveloping her in a hug. "I'm sorry that I don't know the cause of our pain or the reason why we broke up," he apologized, as he buried his head in her hair._

" _I need…," she hiccupped. "I need you to make me feel good again. Make me feel good… please…"_

 _As she said this, she leaned forward to kiss his wet lips, prying them apart with her tongue. He tried to pull back at first, but she held on furiously, wanting to crawl inside of him. Finally, he let her, kissing her back with equal fervor._

"Oh God," Elena whispered at the memory.

Her phone buzzed next to her and she quickly reached for it, not wanting to wake Damon and face him. She saw that she had 5 missed calls, all from Liam. He had left messages…

" _Hey Elena, I've got a surprise for you. I've managed to rearrange some of my appointments, so I've got a few days off! I thought it would be a nice touch to surprise you over there in Mystic Falls. I'm looking at flights right now. If you don't want me to come, let me know. Otherwise, I'll be there in a few!"_

The message was left late last night! Crap, he was on his way! As she listened to the last message, she knew that she was in trouble.

" _Elena, my plane has landed and I'm in a cab right now. I have the address of Mystic Falls Inn and I should be there in about half an hour. See you soon!"_

She checked the time when the message was sent…. It was half an hour ago…..

 **Author's note:** I know this is all a bunch of angst here, but don't worry. Once Liam arrives, there will be more funny moments. And yes, a huge display of testosterone will happen between the boys!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The phone rang on Elena's bedside table, just as she was hurriedly getting dressed. The noise woke up Damon, who was still sleeping in the chair. He looked around disorientated as his eyes landed on hers. "What…?" he began, but Elena held up her finger to silence him.

"Hello?" she said, as she picked up the phone.

" _Yes, Miss Gilbert. I have a Liam Fuller here to see you. Is it okay if I send him up?"_

Elena's eyes remained locked with her former husband as she figured out what to do. If she told Liam to wait, he would get suspicious. If she told him to come up, she needed to figure out a way to explain Damon's presence. Crap, what a situation she had gotten herself in! Damon looked at her questionably, not understanding who was on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, it's okay. Send him up," she finally decided to say.

She hung up the phone and quickly tidied up as best as she could. The best way to handle this situation was to tell the truth.

"Who's coming up?" Damon asked.

"Liam."

"Oh, so I'm finally getting to meet Mr. Right, huh?"

The biting wit in his tone was not lost on her and she turned around to glare at him.

"You had better be on your best behavior! It's because of you that I'm in this situation. Why couldn't you have just taken me home and left? Why did you stay?" she snarled.

Damon's eyes turned softer… more serious. "Because you were upset and seemed like you were in pain. I couldn't leave you like that."

A moment of silence fell between them and for one fleeting moment Elena felt like she had a million things to say to him… to talk to him about. The air between them seemed thick and heavy with… something… until Liam knocked on the door and broke the tension.

Elena hurried to open it and smiled at her fiancé.

"Liam! What a surprise! I'm sorry that I didn't reply to your messages. I was out with some old friends last night and went straight to bed."

"That's all right, sweetheart. I'm here right now and…"

Liam stopped talking as soon as he spotted Damon. The warm smile disappeared from his lips as he sized the other man up.

"I didn't know you had company."

He didn't ask, but Elena thought the question was clear in his tone; 'Is this your ex and why is he standing in your hotel room at this early hour….?'

"Yeah, long story," she mumbled.

He shook his head and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss. "I'm glad I made the decision to come here."

Elena smiled at him and turned around to explain the presence of Damon, who was standing there, rolling his eyes at them. She gave him a stern look, warning him.

"Look, Liam. This is Damon, my ex-husband. He came over to talk to me and…"

Damon never let her finish and stepped forward to shake Liam's hand. "So the ex meets the new guy. How awkward, huh? How freaked out are you right now? Because I know I sure as hell feel like this is all a bit weird."

Elena watched as Liam shook Damon's hand, but the cautious look remained on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm not freaked out. Elena told me all about you and your accident. I find it endearing that she wants to help you, even if the two of you haven't spoken in years."

Liam put his arm around Elena and pulled her close. It was a deliberate move and Elena knew she was about to witness a territorial contest between the two men. Oh joy!

"Yeah well sometimes, some form of bond remains, even if you haven't been in touch with each other," Damon retorted.

"Is that so?" Liam's eyebrows shot up.

Elena began to feel a bit uncomfortable, being stuck between these two men, and quickly stepped forward to change the subject. "So, as you can see, Damon is doing a lot better, save for the memory department. He's lost 5 to 6 years of his life and that's not pleasant for him, as I'm sure you can imagine. We're all helping him to catch up."

"I'm sure it's not pleasant for you, Damon. I'm sorry about your accident. But what is unpleasant for me is the fact that your memory makes you think that you're entitled to my fiancée. So yeah, this is uncomfortable, especially with you being in her hotel room in the wee hours of the morning."

Damon looked as if he was about to punch Liam, with his narrowed eyes and clenched fists at his side. Elena held her breath for a second, not knowing what was going to happen.

"Look, obviously we got off on the wrong foot here. I don't think that I'm entitled to Elena, because she is her own person and she can make her own decisions. I've never forced her to come over here. I'm glad and thankful that she wants to help me. I'm sorry if you feel threatened about that."

"Okay, enough now! If I see anymore testosterone display, I'm going to kick you both out of here! Liam, Damon simply wanted to know if I was okay, since I was in a bad place last night. He didn't do anything wrong… and as for you!" Elena pointed her finger in her ex-husband's direction. "You're deliberately riling Liam up and that's not okay. I think it's best if you get on home right now, so I can talk to my fiancé. Okay?"

Damon nodded, but gave his competition one last glance before he went.

"Wow, your ex seems like a fun guy!" Liam mocked.

Elena sighed and flopped down into the chair Damon had just vacated. "Don't you start with me!"

"What? I just never figured you would have gone for a man like that."

"A man like that? What is that supposed to mean?"

Liam came to kneel down in front of her and smiled at her gently.

"I don't know; leather jacket, motorcycle, smart mouth. Forgive me for saying this, but he seems a bit like a deadbeat to me. I could be wrong, though. That's just the vibe I'm getting."

"Damon is.. Damon," Elena simply breathed.

"Hey, I'm here now. Let's not talk about your ex anymore. Why don't you introduce me to your old town, huh?"

That's exactly what Elena did; she took him to the Grill, to her old house and talked about her parents passing away and in the end, she took him to her favorite place in Mystic Falls: the quarry. Afterwards, they ran into Bonnie at the diner.

"Bonnie was my best friend in High School," Elena explained. "We sort of lost touch after that."

"Yeah, Elena and I got into all sorts of mischief together."

"Really?" Liam smiled. "She always seems like such a good girl to me."

Bonnie threw her head back and laughed.

"Trust me. She was known as 'Hurricane Elena' back in High School. She was always rambunctious and talkative and could never sit still during class. We both wound up in the principal's office on more than one occasion due to her outbursts."

"Oh please! It wasn't just me. Remember that time when your cat was sick and the vet knew that he was going to die of cancer? You didn't want to see him suffer, so you made me strap dynamite to his tail. You thought it would be short and quick for him, but he wound up walking into our local bank. Of course, then the bank had a bit of an explosion."

Liam sat wide eyed. "You blew up a cat and a bank?"

"In the end, it turned out that the cat had wiggled its' way out of the dynamite wrapping, so the cat survived. The bank is sadly another story. We were grounded for years and banned from said bank," Elena explained.

"I'm seeing a whole new side to you," Liam grinned. "Wait, let me go to the restroom and when I get back, I want to hear more."

"He seems like a nice guy," Bonnie said, as they both watched Liam's retreating form. "It's just that I'm still rooting for Damon a bit. He went up there one time, you know.."

Elena took a sip of her drink. "Who went where?"

"Damon. He said that he regretted the divorce and was tired of all the pain and angry words between you two. I think it was about a year after you left. He went to Los Angeles to get you back. He wanted to work things through, but then he saw you were doing well over there; he saw your book being published and watched you with Liam and knew that he was too late. He told me that, if he ever wanted to get back with you, he needed to fix himself and really become somebody. He's been working on that ever since… and then the accident happened and he doesn't remember."

Elena felt tongue tied as she listened to Bonnie's words. Damon had wanted to get back together with her?

"So what did I miss?" Liam asked, as he came back. The atmosphere had changed and he immediately picked up on it. "What? What happened?"

"Nothing. Listen, Bonnie. I think it's time that we're heading off. Nice to see you again."

"Yeah, you too…"

That night, after Elena and Liam had gone to bed, she couldn't help but think back on Bonnie's words. Damon had wanted to work things through. He had wanted her again. The scary thing was, she wasn't really sure if she would have turned him away if he had shown himself in Los Angeles. They still had a connection. She still felt it….

 _She had him exactly where she had wanted him; they were alone and away from the Salvatore boarding house and his family. They had all the peace and quiet that they wanted. The room they were in was romantically lit with a few candles here and there._

 _She felt something raw between them. She had felt it for the first time when they had been on their date, that had ended in the rain. The way he had looked at her was intoxicating, as if he was seeing something for the very first time. Then, they had kissed. A real, raw and passionate kiss. His tongue had swept into her mouth, tasting her, while his hands had begun to explore her. He had groaned while the feel of their tongues touching had sent them both into a heated frenzy. Damon had released her mouth to slide his lips delicately over the smooth skin of her neck. And then…. The rain and thunder had become too much and they were forced to take shelter._

 _Now, there were no intrusions… No rain or thunder…. No family members accidentally interrupting them…. She could easily take this moment and make it hers. So she did. She gently kissed him and then there was no stopping it; his mouth hungrily slid over hers. She slipped his shirt from his shoulders, revealing his impeccable, chiseled abs to her. He was so perfect. How could one man be made so perfectly? He kissed his way down her body, while she writhed on the bed, urging him to continue. Opening up her legs, he swept his tongue up and down the inside of her creamy thighs, making her softly moan. She didn't know where or how her underwear had come off, but somehow, they were suddenly gone. The look in his eyes was almost like an animal on the prowl, and it made something inside of her clench violently. Then, he carefully licked her slit. She almost came off of the bed with the delicious contact. He kissed and teased her folds until she was begging him to just take her. He complied and crawled back up her body._

 _Their mouths were devouring each other by now, tongues rubbing and teeth almost clashing in their urge to get close to each other. Elena felt his cock probe through his pants and could only think of one thing; it needed to come off. She opened its' buttons and began to slide her hands down, taking the material with her, until she felt his naked rear beneath her fingers. Damon thrust forward, making him come in contact with her femininity, and they both groaned out loud._

 _Nothing could have prepared her for the feeling she had when he sank himself into her wet depths. It was excruciating and delectable at the same time. She needed more, so much more. A rhythm began to build up between them as he moved his hips up and down, pumping into her. He slid his hands underneath her rear to aid in his movements, as he slid in oh so deep, the angle hitting all kinds of new spots inside of her. And then it happened; the explosion was so intense inside of her that she felt like she would black out. Wave after wave hit her full force as she almost howled her pleasure at the moon. Then, it subsided and she was left whimpering with the tiny aftershocks._

" _I love you," he whispered breathily…._

Elena woke up with a jolt, the dream/memory still rattling her brain. Her breathing was labored, her skin glowing with sweat and her heart pummeling inside of her chest. She ran a hand through her damp her and looked next to her, where Liam was still peacefully sleeping. Still shaken up, she quietly slipped from the bed and walked over towards the window, feeling the inside of her things being sticky with her own fluids. What the hell?

It was a full moon outside and she sighed in the glowing light. She needed to talk to Damon to speed this process along. He couldn't be in her head like this, not with her upcoming wedding. She needed to get back to Los Angeles and escape him once more. The only way to do that, was to take him to Northfield and to make him face it head on…..

 **Author's note:** So this was lighter than the last chapter. We needed a bit more humor and biting wit. I imported some TVD and Sweet Home Alabama into it. Let's see if you can find where I did that ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Elena swallowed, feeling a little awkward in front of her husband. He seemed.. cold. His once ice blue, but warm eyes had turned frozen and they weren't giving her any love. Not that she had expected that. Any feelings of romance between them had been long gone, but the last thing she had ever wanted from him was this look. Well, she couldn't exactly say that she blamed him after everything. But if he couldn't bear to look at her, then it didn't make sense why he had refused to give her a divorce._

 _Right. The divorce. Back to what she came here for before he distracted her with his searing good looks and detached attitude. She forced a smile on her face..._

The past. It was standing right in front of her in the form of the Salvatore Boarding House. A huge mansion, that Giuseppe had left to his two grown sons, after he had felt the need to downsize on his living conditions. It was once her home, during her marriage to Damon. Seeing the front door in front of her reminded her of the last time she had stood on this very doorstep, ready to hand over the divorce papers and walk out of her husband's life. When he opened the door this time around, it was very different from back then. Elena had to do her best to keep her mouth from falling open at the sight of him; he was wearing a suit.. yeah, a suit! Damon Salvatore, rogue bike rider was all spiffed up in a light grey ensemble that brought the heck out of his eyes. What in the...?

"Elena, are you coming in? Or do you want to keep standing there catching flies?"

The look on his face was one of utter amusement. Damn. He was aware of what his attire was doing to her.

He turned away from the door and walked back inside of his house, leaving her confused. Was she supposed to follow him inside? She eyed his retreating back, before he stopped.

"I'm not going to carry you over the threshold. You're going to have to walk inside, sweetheart."

Elena's heart pounded at the endearment he always used with her, uttered to her right now... years later. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Looking around the enormous hallway, she noticed how nothing had changed since the last time she was in here. It was still as hauntingly beautiful as ever, with its' almost classic, giant staircase and chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was still exquisite.

"You do remember where the living room is, right?" he joked, as he watched her taking the house in.

She followed him into the flawlessly decorated room. Even in here, it seemed as if time had stood still. There was still that huge mantelpiece in the centre of the far wall, with even bigger windows on either side of it.

"So," Damon began. "To what do I owe this pleasure of having my own wife come to visit me at our former home?"

Elena sat down on one of the oversized couches and crossed her long legs. A move that Damon seemed to follow. Looking up into his eyes, he smirked at her, making her realize that he was actually doing it on purpose. He poured himself a drink, smiling to himself. Why was he so chipper?

"Your ex-wife," she corrected him. "Damon, I think it's time that we both move on. I think that you're well aware of the fact that I'm here to help you deal with the past, but that's what I am to you... the past. Everyone is on their toes, feeling awkward with this whole situation and I think it's time that I show you why we went our separate ways," she told him.

Damon took a long swig of what appeared to be whisky or bourbon.

"Well, Elena. I thought the doctor said that it was a bad idea to force memories on me? It could backfire. You have to let me remember it on my own," he said without blinking.

Elena frowned.

"I thought you would want the information."

"I do. Just on my own terms."

"You do realize how difficult is for me, right? To be around you... to be here in our former home... while my fiancé is only a few miles away from me. It's unsettling and I want to get back to my home... the one that holds my future, not my past. It appears as if you're doing very well, so please let me go."

Damon looked at her without showing any emotion whatsoever.

"Come on, Damon. We have to let go. At some point you're going to meet someone that makes you very happy. Happier than I ever could. You'd want to be free for that. Unless you've already found someone?" Elena enquired. "I mean, certainly this house is way too big for just you and Stefan."

Damon chuckled.

"Are you fishing for details about my love life, Elena?"

Elena looked down and could feel herself beginning to blush profusely. He had always had a way of putting her on the spot.

"Well, eh.. I do want you to be happy. I hope that you get out of this 'waiting around for me' phase. It doesn't do any one of us any good. "

Damon narrowed his eyes at her and put his glass down.

"Anyway. I'm surprised to see you in a suit. The last time I checked, you hated them. Did your career plans change? You always loved to work with your hands. I remember that you wanted to live in a house that you had built on your own. Did the dream change?" Elena began to make small talk.

He was making her nervous with his mysterious attitude. She needed to distract herself from that and get him to agree to let her show him the past!

He sat down in front of her and stared at her for a moment, before replying.

"A lot of dreams changed for me, Elena."

It was one simple sentence, but it sucked all the life out of her. Did he remember, then? Did he know? This was exactly the reason why she had never wanted to come back here! It was too painful. It ripped all of her old wounds right open. She could feel the tears prick behind her eyes for a second, before her stoic front went back up.

"I don't want to go there, Damon. Never again. Let's end this. Let's walk away from each other. You were my best friend once. I loved you so much. A part of me will always love you. But it's over."

Damon gave her a smirk, before picking up some papers and showing them to her. Elena looked at them in confusion. "What am I looking at?"

He pointed something out to her. "Look closely," he whispered.

Elena's eyes scanned over the words and frowned. "Why am I looking at our divorce papers? What good does that do? You've signed... I've signed... The marriage is no longer here, Damon, even if you remember otherwise."

He put the papers down and leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. For some reason, it caused strange sensations in her belly. Sensations she hadn't felt in years.

"When I woke up from that coma and remembered nothing but you, I found it strange to learn that you had been gone from my life for years. Why would my old self let me feel this way, then? Why remember so much love? If we hated each other, like you claim we did in the end, why does my heart pound a mile a minute right now? I wanted to know, so I began to dig. I managed to get access to our divorce papers. Guess what? You seem to have missed one spot where you needed to sign. Maybe by accident, but my old self... He let you go, but without giving you a divorce." he explained.

His eyes dropped down to her lips for a split second, making her almost hold her breath with the idea that he might kiss her. But he didn't. Instead, he got up and walked over towards a window, leaving her to mill things over.

Elena grabbed hold of the divorce papers yet again and began to read with a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed, as the blank line on one piece of all of those papers screamed out at her. She hadn't signed...

Her mouth dropped open in both shock and anger. She hadn't signed and he hadn't told her? They were still married?

She had been present when he had signed... he had watched her sign... but apparently she had missed a vital line. She hadn't known and she hadn't cared. She had just wanted to get out of town and away from him as fast as she could... she had never checked if the papers came through.

"You pompous asshole!" she screeched. "Why? Why would you do this? You wanted to be away from me as much as I wanted to be away from you! I can't believe you let me think that we were divorced!"

Damon remained absolutely calm as he walked towards her.

"Look, I don't know, okay. I don't remember. But look at those papers... there was a glitch... something went wrong and it seems as if you and I are still married."

Elena saw blind and began to furiously pound her fists against his chest.

"How dare you! How dare you uproot my life yet again! What do I tell Liam, huh? What am I going to do?"

He grabbed hold of her waving fists and pressed her gently against his chest.

"Apparently, you and I made a mess of things back then and I understand how that upsets you. I take it as a sign, however."

"A sign!" Elena howled, as she ripped herself free from his grasp. "You're giving me that divorce. You owe me!"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "I owe you?"

"Yes! For making me believe that the lawyer that you hired would come through for us. Were you in on it together? Did you bribe him or something? You knew that I would never find out; we had separate bank accounts, separate pension funds and what not. You played me!"

"I don't think it went that way, Elena. Look, you know I don't remember..."

"And isn't that convenient!" Elena interrupted him. He went about undisturbed, though.

"I think I still loved you and that I had troubles cutting you off from me completely. From what I learned from Bonnie, I went after you in Los Angeles. But I backed away when I saw your new life. I needed to make something of myself first."

Elena began to pace back and forth. She was seething!

"I don't care what your reasons were. This is... You've got a chance to rectify the situation, Damon. Let me sign that document and we won't talk about a single thing afterwards."

"I think we need to wait with that and figure out if those feelings are still there. We owe it to ourselves."

"Like hell we are! Damon, I'm engaged. You need to accept that. This is just a glitch, as you said. A small inconvenience."

"I wouldn't call our marriage an inconvenience," Damon told her earnestly.

"Whatever. Do you want me to take you to Northfield? Do you want me to show you what went wrong between us? Because I don't think our marriage would survive that... it didn't four years ago."

"You have to let me remember it on my own, Elena. And yes, I do think our marriage would survive it. Maybe we were hurt, but we've dealt with it. It's been few years and that makes all the difference. We have to forgive each other for it. I think I already did, since I never went after you to get you to sign the papers. Now, if you'll excuse me."

To Elena's shock, Damon walked away from her and went up the stairs, leaving her standing in the middle of his living room. She was having none of it, though. She followed him straight up to his bedroom, not caring that she was probably invading his privacy.

"I'm not done talking to you!" she continued her tirade.

Damon reacted aloof. He took off his suit jacket, before beginning to unbutton his shirt.

Elena froze.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I don't know about you, Elena. But I've got plans tonight. I need to get dressed for that," he answered her.

She was tongue tied as he took off his shirt, revealing his hard abs. He had filled out even more since the last time she had seen his bare chest. His rippling muscles had her mesmerized.

"If I were you I'd get out of here, wifey. Unless you're staying for the show."

He actually winked at her after that remark.

Elena wanted to say something when he started to unbutton his pants. Button by button. She licked her suddenly too dry lips. He wasn't seriously stripping naked in front of her, was he?!

She then turned and did something very unclassy. She ran….

"How did it go?" Liam asked her once she breezed past him into the hotel room.

"Aaargh! That man is so infuriating!" she spat.

She threw her purse on a side table.

Liam smiled. "All right, calm down. What did he say?" He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. Elena bit her lip. How exactly was she going to tell him this?

"He refused to let me explain to him why we fell apart. He said that he wants to remember it on his own, and that we owe it to ourselves to see if those feelings are still there."

"Really? How presumptuous of him."

Elena sat down on their bed buried her head in her hands.

"It's even more complicated than we thought, Liam. I don't know how to explain it to you. You see, it's not just the fact that he doesn't remember our time apart. He... he found something that has got to do with our past and that could change all of our futures if we let it."

Liam took her hand in his and eyed her seriously.

"What did he do?"

She swallowed with difficulty.

"This isn't just that we simply fought back then. It's... I didn't even want to come back. But Damon has just made it brutally clear to me that he is going to be holding on until the end of time, because our marriage is still a fact..." she explained.

Liam blinked a few times, letting her words settle in.

"I'm sorry... what?" he mumbled.

"I don't know how, but Damon managed to get hold of our divorce papers. There was a glitch and... somehow, we're still married."

Elena watched as all the blood drained from Liam's face. He got up and walked over towards the window.

"How could you not know about this?" he whispered.

"I just... I just didn't. Business wise, Damon and I thought it would be better to keep everything separate back then. I was trying to make a career out of writing and he was trying to get something done in construction. I never had to turn to him for money or anything else in these four years. The house was his and his brother's... I mean, otherwise, it would have come up."

Elena shook her head.

"It's too late for me and Damon, Liam. I love you and only you, okay? Damon and I... We've both changed. We've drifted apart. I've got a completely new life now. With the man that I want to marry," she said with finality. "Look, when I arrived in Los Angeles, I wanted nothing more than to start with a new slate. Nobody there knows where I really come from. I wanted to be Elena Gilbert, the famous writer. The press would have a field day with this. But my marriage to Damon is dead and buried. Let him try to hold on. I'll hire a lawyer and this will all be cleared up."

"Are you sure your marriage is over?" Liam finally asked.

"Yes. I don't want to be Damon's wife anymore."

Suddenly, as she said this, an idea hit her. Damon's wife.. Elena Salvatore.. A smirk appeared on her face.

"Liam?" Elena began. "Would you mind terribly if I went out after dinner? There's something that I have to do."

Liam frowned.

"You're going out without me?"

"Yes. I've thought of a way that would make Damon scream for a divorce in no time, no months of going to court with a lawyer needed. If that man wants a wife, I'll give him a wife… and every horrible, nagging little thing that comes with that honour…"

 **Author's note:** So, no going to Northfield yet, folks. I'm keeping that a secret for a few more chapters. But a huge other secret came out here. The marriage is not over! Let's see how everyone will deal with it and what it means for everyone involved!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Apparently, there was a formal party being held by Carol Lockwood, the town's mayor, and Damon was attending. Elena had called Stefan up and asked him about his brother's whereabouts. Luckily, he had given them to her without asking what it was all about. Elena had put on her best dress; a blue one with straps and a bit of cleavage. The dress fell around her ankles and accentuated her curves perfectly. She had also curled her hair for the occasion.

When she arrived at the enormous property, the party was already in full swing. The thing was, she was having doubts. As she stared at the wooden, double doors that held her husband behind them, she actually hesitated about her plans. Maybe this was just all wrong. Maybe this whole situation wasn't fair to either one of them and she should just head back to Los Angeles. She had reacted a bit overheated to the announcement that they were still married this afternoon. Yes, Damon had known, hadn't told her and that was just uncalled for. But this man… the Damon he was now… he didn't know anything… he didn't do anything.. He had been seriously injured, and she was on her way to hurt him right now. Was she being selfish and spoiled?

"Ma'am? Are you coming or going?" the doorman interrupted her thoughts.

"Uhm.." Well, she was here now anyway. She might as well go in.

As soon as the doorman opened up for her, she spotted him. It was as if the wind was knocked out of her as she took in his formal wear. If she had thought the suit that he was wearing this afternoon was something, this tux, that fitted him so well, was something else entirely. He really seemed to have changed, because the Damon she knew never ever wore a tux. It suited him. When he turned her way and his mouth practically fell open, she became a bit uncomfortable. It was very clear that he approved of what he saw.

She made her way over towards him and smiled. "Are you just going to keep standing there, gawking?" she joked, trying to break the tension.

Damon's eyes roamed over her body, before taking a sip of the champagne he was carrying and saying: "Yup, pretty much."

There was a small moment of awkward silence, when Damon finally asked why she was there.

"Well, you know me. Tyler Lockwood and I go way back. I'm always welcome here," Elena laughed, knowing her history with Tyler full well. Damon did as well.

"Ah yes, those sad times when your taste was a bit shady and you and he hooked up."

Elena held her hands up in surrender.

"Hey, when you're a cheerleader in high school, it's only fair that you go out with a football player at least once."

"Well, luckily your taste improved by miles after that," Damon winked. "So uh, does this mean that we're good?"

Wringing her hands together, Elena thought about that question. She had come here to behave like an annoying wife, so he wouldn't want to be married anymore in the end. She had wanted to drive him so crazy with the whole marriage thing, that he would give her that divorce. Right now, she wasn't so sure. So she answered: "Yeah, we're good."

In that moment, a familiar song started to play; 'All I need' by Within Temptation. It was their song. Elena knew how the people in this town felt about them and their split by all the stories that Bonnie had told her, so she was pretty sure that someone had played the song on purpose. Damon held out his hand to her, asking her to dance.

"Look, Damon… Just because I said that we're good doesn't mean that I don't still want that divorce. I have someone in my life now. I…"

Damon stopped her by grabbing her hand and dragging her out onto the dance floor. "Don't take everything so seriously, Elena. I know that this doesn't mean that you're ready to let me back in. But for now, let's just relax and enjoy the party, okay?"

He placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her towards him. As he took the first step and began to guide her across the dance floor, she thought back on the beginning of their relationship, when everything had been simple. Why were things so different now? How had everything that had happened a little over four years ago changed the entire course of their lives? And why didn't he remember the one thing that had broken her heart? She blamed him for it, she could feel that. That's why she wasn't very friendly towards him… she blamed him for losing his memory of the most significant moment in their lives.

"So you haven't told me how you wound up at a Lockwood's party? I never knew you and Carol were that close," Elena asked, trying to shake off her incessant thoughts and worries.

"We weren't at first. But let's just say that I arranged some things for her that she was very happy about in the end. After that, I could come and go whenever I wanted."

Elena frowned.

"You arranged some things? Care to fill me in?"

"Not just yet. You know I wanted to make something of myself after you left? That I was done worrying about my next paycheck? Well, it has to do with that. I made something of myself. I just don't think that you're ready to see it, so I'm keeping it under wraps until you are."

The song ended and Damon raised her hand, brushing the back of it delicately with his lips. Before Elena had a chance to say something to him, he was gone, leaving her standing in the middle of the dance floor.

"Elena? Long time no see. How have you been?" a familiar voice asked next to her.

Elena took a sip of her champagne and eyed Matt Donovan, her childhood friend, with a friendly smile.

"I'm good. Real good. Life is kind to me."

"Yeah, I heard. Famous writer, a movie based on your book on the way, a few sleazy actor-exes and a business tycoon for a fiancé."

"Wow, you have been catching up on me."

"Hey, I'm a reporter now. It is my job to know about the cocks that have been in everyone's henhouse," he joked.

Elena threw her head back and laughed.

"Way to sleaze things up, Donovan."

"So uh," Matt began, a bit uncomfortable. "You and Damon? There's no chance of that ever happening again? I saw you out on the dance floor."

"No," Elena replied, all too quickly. "I know his memory makes him think that we're still together, but that was settled years ago. I've moved on."

Matt put his hands in his pockets and eyed her seriously. "Except that it wasn't really settled, was it? The two of you never talked it over, worked things out… Instead, both of you buried your heads in the sand and eventually, you escaped town. Look, I know it's none of my business.."

"Then don't make it your business," Elena bit at him.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry. I'll stay out of it. It's real good to see you again."

Elena sighed.

"You too, Matt. I know you just want to be friendly and helpful. Come to think of it, now that you're a reporter, maybe I should be careful around you. Who knows what you could write about me," she joked, to break the tension.

"I'll never write about friends, old or new," he promised…

"Who's the blonde with Damon?" Elena asked, a few hours later. She had spent the entire evening catching up with Matt and she was actually having fun. "I don't recall her being a local."

Matt quickly glanced at who she was referring to and Elena could see it in his eyes. He liked her.

"That's Rebekah. She came to live here two years ago and quickly became enamored by Damon. She keeps trying and he keeps on turning her down. It's quite sad to see really."

"And where do you fit in?" Elena winked at him, making it clear to him that she knew how he felt about her.

"Have you seen her and then looked at me? She's out of my league."

Elena put her hand on top of Matt's.

"Have you at least told her how you feel?"

Matt took a sip of his beer and shrugged. "I have. She turned me down. It's quite funny if you think about it; I keep going after her, but she wants Damon. She keeps going after Damon, who wants you. And Damon keeps going after you, but you're taken. We're in a sad little love square. No one gets what they want."

"Well, she's a fool."

Elena looked at the blonde, throwing herself all over Damon. It stirred up something inside of her, but she immediately shrugged it off.

"Oh Elena," Matt sighed next to her. "I know it's not my place to get involved in your business, but what's that look?"

"What look?"

Matt smiled and glanced back and forth between Damon, Rebekah and Elena. "You're jealous."

"Of what? Of Rebekah wanting Damon? I'm not, Matt. Really. Have you seen the life I'm leading with the fiancé of everyone's dreams? I'm not about to go back."

"Don't be like that," Matt chastised her. "You were never nor have you ever been about money and lifestyle."

Elena shrugged.

"Maybe it grew on me."

Matt simply gave her a look and she put her hands up in surrender.

"All right, you've got me. Nothing is ever about money with me. I don't know… Damon just gets on my nerves."

"Damon gets under your skin and that's the last thing I'm going to say about it. What you do with it is up to you. Look, I'm heading off. Good to see you again."

Matt said his goodbyes, leaving Elena behind. She quickly finished her champagne, when she decided she had enough of watching Rebekah trying very hard. It was time to have a bit of fun with it. Maybe she would wake up and finally decide to give Matt a chance.

"Oh hello," Elena began as soon as she reached the blonde. "I don't recall seeing you in Mystic Falls before. I'm Elena, Damon's wife."

Damon choked on his champagne and Rebekah turned as pale as a ghost at her mentioning being Damon's wife, before she quickly recovered.

"I'm Rebekah, and don't you mean ex-wife? I thought the two of you were divorced?" the blonde said haughtily.

Elena smiled sweetly.

"Oh, didn't Damon tell you? The paperwork didn't come through. He and I are still hitched. It came as a surprise to me as well, but as it appears, he doesn't want to divorce me. He's a persistent one."

Rebekah stared at Damon, at loss for words and hoping he would prove all those words wrong. He didn't.

"Well, isn't that just… great," she managed to squeeze out. "Excuse me, I should go and find my brother."

With that, she left and Elena giggled a bit.

"You're evil, you know that?" Damon said with a bit of a grin, that he was trying to hold back.

"Hey, from what I've heard from Matt Donovan, the woman's been on your case for two years now. She needs to take a hint. Besides, she and Matt would be great together."

"Is that the only reason why you decided to scare her off?" Damon asked, eying her intently.

Elena's smile fell. She didn't answer him, but instead, decided to exit the party via the back door. Damon followed close behind.

"Why don't you answer me?"

Elena kept on walking, going deeper into the woods. "I've answered you countless of times before, Damon. I've got someone in my life now and I'm not going to leave him."

She tried walking a bit faster to escape him, but he wouldn't let up.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

Elena stopped and whirled around. "Well, if you must know, I'm headed for the quarry. It's beautiful in the full moon and I need to take a walk… alone."

With that, she carried on. When she reached her destination, he was still on her case. She simply ignored him and sank down onto the ground, glancing across the lapping water. He sat down next to her.

"Stalking is a crime, you know," Elena deadpanned.

"So is marrying someone while you are technically still married to someone else," he retorted. "I know you are belting from the highest hills of Hollywood that you love Liam Fuller, but I don't buy it. He was your escape when things got rough here. He's the place you go to when you want to bury your head in the sand. He might be the nicest guy in the world, but you don't love him. I see it whenever you and I are together; we have something, Elena. Our connection never left."

Elena leaned forward, pulled up her knees in front of her and hugged them, wanting to protect herself from everything he was saying.

"How would you know? You don't even know what it is that I've left town for, because you only remember the good parts. You don't remember my heart being shattered into pieces."

He went quiet for a moment, before realization seemed to strike him.

"That's it, isn't it? You blame me for it… the fact that I don't remember that important piece of our marriage. I'm sorry, Elena. I can't control my brain."

"Yes, but somehow… " she held up her index finger to make her point. "Somehow, you do remember feelings that left us ages ago. You say you can't control it, Damon. I find it peculiar that you only remember the things you seem to want to remember."

Damon blinked at her in the dark, completely baffled.

"Is that what you think? Don't you think that I want to remember? It kills me to see you so hurt and that I don't know how I caused that. Do you know how scary it is to love someone so much, only to realize that you and her were over years ago? It feels like I'm the only one stuck in the past, while everyone else has already stepped into the future. This isn't easy for me either."

Elena got to her feet and began to pace in front of him.

"Oh, boohoo! I think in this case, it's easier to forget than to remember. You've gotten the best part of the deal here."

Damon stood up as well. "Are you crazy? How could you even wish for memory loss?" he snapped at her, clutching the top of her arms in his grasp to get through to her.

"Let go of me!" she hissed at him.

"Never! I'll never let you go. I don't care how many demons from the past I have to face, how many men I have to chase away from you… we're a part of each other and we always will be. I can feel it. You can run from it, Elena, but you can never hide. I'm in your blood as you are in mine."

Damon seemed to calm down somewhat as he looked around. "We've been here before," he whispered. "Together. Do you remember that?"

Elena swallowed something, as she knew what he was talking about. She didn't answer him, though, because the memory was…

"There was a party held by the Forbes' here. After it was over and everyone left… we went for a swim and then we made love."

Elena's heart pounded as she put her hands in front of her face. "Why would you bring that up now?"

Damon grabbed her hands and pulled them back down again, forcing her to look at him.

"I asked you to marry me after we got home. I'm bringing it up because it was the happiest moment in my life. Now, we are here again. Was there a particular reason you wanted to come back to this place?"

"What?" Elena shook her head. "No! I wanted to be alone, remember? You followed me."

"Yes, but why come here if you hate our past so much… if you hate _me_ so much?"

"Don't read too much into it!" she snapped, as she turned around to walk away.

He wouldn't let her, though. He grabbed her arm and whirled her back around, making her collide with his chest. He didn't even give her time to protest, when he firmly placed his lips on hers.

It was as if the past was quickly catching up with her, all of their memories together bursting together like fireworks in her brain; their first kiss, the first time they made love, their wedding… It was as if the future didn't exist and they had never hurt each other. Right now, it was only them. Her blood turned into liquid lava in her veins as she felt his body heat blending with hers. Her nipples chafed his chest and her stomach clenched violently with all of the sensations she was feeling. Her brain halted, though, when she felt the tip of his tongue gently touch hers. She quickly pushed him away.

"Right, that settles it then, Damon. If you're going to behave like this, it might be better for all parties involved if I go back to Los Angeles. I came here to convince you of the fact that our marriage is over, so you could move on and build a life on your own. It seems like you aren't willing to do that. There's nothing I can do here anymore. This is goodbye, Damon. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning and our marriage can be settled via mail. I'll have my lawyer draw up new papers. Sign them and we can both start over."

She looked at his face, which seemed stricken with something. She couldn't really place what it was, so she figured it must have something to do with her words. He still wasn't ready to let go.

"I'm sorry, Damon," she whispered. Then, she turned around and ran away….

 **A/N: Sorry it took a bit longer to update this time. Something big happened in my life and that took front seat to this story. I'm back now and I'll explain what happened when I update next chapter, as the timing is not completely right, right now. Hope you liked this one! xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A/N: Last chapter, I've told you that life threw me a curveball (a good one!), which is why my updates where slowing down a bit. You see, at the very start of this story, I mentioned how I was proposed to and that I was getting married next year. Right now, there's a change of plans… since I'm expecting a baby! The wedding will have to come later. Hahaha! I've thought long and hard about the future of my stories. I do have time to write now, but once my child is born, it might be hard to find a moment to sit down for this. So that's why I've decided that I'm going to finish this story for you all, but this is the very last one for me. I know a lot of you were hoping that I was going to finish my other stories as well, but I've decided against it. Not just for lack of time, but I've also noticed how reviews are a bit harder to come by these days. Maybe it's the fact that TVD is coming to an end or maybe my writing is getting worse ;-) I don't know, but I do know that it would kill me to start up with 'A Vampire's Bite' or 'Now and then' again and see the reviews drop since last time I wrote for them. They're very special to me and the last thing I would want is to get frustrated over writing for them. I am going to leave all my stories up, though. So to make a long story short, this story will get finished. No worries! I'm just pregnant and not always in the right frame of mind to write ;-) Back to the story!**

"Wait. Why are you in such a hurry to get back to Los Angeles all of a sudden?" Liam questioned, when Elena was in the midst of packing their bags the next morning. "Did Damon do something?"

Elena didn't look up at her fiancé, her focus solely on getting ready in time for their flight.

"He _did_ do something, didn't he?"

"I think it's time that Damon and I separated. I've told him that last night. This whole situation isn't fair to either one of us, Damon included. I think me being here in Mystic Falls gives him hope. I came here to remind him that our marriage was over a long time ago and I hope he gets it now. There's nothing else for me to do here," Elena explained.

The phone rang on their bedside table and Elena went over to answer.

" _Miss Gilbert? I have a Giuseppe Salvatore here to see you. Is it okay if I send him up?"_ the front desk asked.

Elena sighed in irritation. Great, just what she needed! A heart to heart with her former father-in-law. Or wait… he still _was_ her father-in-law.

"All right. Send him up."

"What? Is it Damon?" Liam asked.

Elena packed up the last few items and closed both suitcases, laying them out on the bed.

"Nope. It's my father-in-law."

"Oh. Do you want me to send him away? Or do you want _me_ to go away for a bit, so the two of you can talk?"

"We'll first see what he has to say and then we'll decide on that."

Giuseppe looked tired when he entered their room. He looked as if he had been up all night worrying about something. Elena greeted him and told him to take a seat.

"Look, I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back shortly," Liam said when he gave Giuseppe the once over. Elena nodded at him and focused her attention back on her father-in-law.

"So, I've been talking to Damon all night last night. He was upset and told me that you were leaving. Considering all the luggage thrown around here, I'd say he's right. Are you leaving, Elena?"

Elena looked down and bit her lip. Gosh, she felt like she was being reprimanded by her own father.

"Look, I know that what happens between you and Damon from here on out is none of my business. If the two of you decide that your marriage is over, there's nothing I can do to stop that. However, I sincerely doubt that your marriage will ever be over if you never talk about what happened on that fateful day. The two of you will never heal if you don't. You can try to run away again, Elena, but you know just as well as I do that this haunts you, no matter where you go."

Elena stood up and walked over towards the window, looking out.

"Damon doesn't remember, Giuseppe. The doctors made it pretty clear that I'm not to confront him with any memories. He needs to remember on his own."

"Have you been to Northfield even once while you were here?" Giuseppe interrupted her. "You haven't, have you?"

Elena narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Giuseppe! I know you want to help your son, but how I deal with things is _my_ choice and nobody elses."

Giuseppe sighed.

"I'm worried about you, Elena. I mean, Liam seems like a solid guy, but… Did you even tell him about Northfield? Do you talk about it with anyone? Your parents are deceased, you don't have any other relatives… Los Angeles might be great, but it can be a lonely place. Nobody cares about where you come from, just about how much money you can make them."

"Maybe I like it that way," Elena told him.

"Damon wants you back, Elena, and not just because he's lost his memory. He's wanted you back from the moment you left town. I've watched him work so hard to become someone and I'm so proud that he's succeeded. He and Stefan went into business together, did he tell you that? He has stopped clowning around with that bike of his and set up a nice contracting business. To say that he's doing well is an understatement. Heck, even the mayor had him do her house!"

Elena's eyes widened a bit. Damon had talked about it at the Mayor's party..

 _"So you haven't told me how you wound up at a Lockwood's party? I never knew you and Carol were that close," Elena asked, trying to shake off her incessant thoughts and worries._

 _"We weren't at first. But let's just say that I arranged some things for her that she was very happy about in the end. After that, I could come and go whenever I wanted."_

Damon was a contractor, along with Stefan?

"Stefan does all of the architectural work and Damon makes sure everything gets done accordingly and builds it all up. It's a great business, known all over town."

Elena smiled a bit.

"Well, I'm glad that he's doing well for himself. Looks like we've both built up a whole new, good life for ourselves."

"Except that the past is still killing you both. Look, I'm going to say my last piece about this and then I'll leave you alone to do whatever you want to do with it. But work through your issues together before you leave. That's the only way you'll ever find peace. Oh yeah, and Damon remembers….everything…."

Elena heard the crunching of the path underneath her feet and with every noise, her heart began to beat a little louder and faster. She was getting close, she knew that. Giuseppe had told her that Damon had remembered last night and that he was now here to work through it. He had advised her to do the same, so that way, they could both finally move on. Her heart painfully squeezed with every step closer towards her destination. She hadn't been here in four years and now, she felt almost guilty about it. But she hadn't been able to….

She suddenly saw him, on his knees a bit ahead of her. His back was turned, so she couldn't see his face, but she could feel the anguish radiating off of him in waves. Bile rose up in her throat as she realized what she would come face to face with and tears already began to slide down her cheeks. Her body was screaming at this point. And then… then she reached it… and him.

"Damon," she whispered brokenly.

He looked up from where he was kneeling, mirroring her tears with his own. This was exactly the look that she never wanted to see on him again, why part of her had hoped that he would never get his memory back. She looked up to see the headstone, gritty and dirty, but still readable:

 _Lily Salvatore_

 _2012_

 _The short time with you will last a lifetime._

 _We love you._

It was in that moment that Elena felt something snap and her legs couldn't support her anymore. She fell forward, sobs wracking her body. She put her arms around her torso, hugging herself against the searing pain.

"Elena," Damon whispered next to her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close, breathing in her scent while they cried together.

"Why?" Elena wailed. "She could have had such a good life with us. Why did they take her away? Why did you forget?"

"I wish I hadn't forgotten, Elena. But I think deep down I knew, because I've felt this hole in my gut the whole time. I thought it was because of you, because I had lost you. But it was her all along. I felt it, Elena. I felt my broken heart, but I didn't know what had caused it."

They put their arms around each other and cried together. Elena clung to him like a lifeline, letting her tears flow freely for the first time in four years.

"I blamed you, you know? For forgetting her, but not me. I wished it had been the other way around."

Damon squeezed her even closer.

"I know. I blame myself as well for not remembering. What kind of father does that? I couldn't remember her, but I did feel the pain of losing her. My mind was blank, but my body still knew."

Elena leaned back a bit to look him in the eye.

"We've never cried together like this, you know? After she… we both became closed up and even blamed each other for our pain. We weren't fair."

"I think nobody plays fair after they lose a child. I'm sorry if you felt like I blamed you for the loss of our daughter. You didn't do anything wrong, do you hear me? When she came into this world, she was just too weak and there was nothing you could have done differently. I need you to understand that, Elena. You are not to blame."

Elena wiped away her tears as new ones began to flow again. There was no stopping it now; she had opened up the well to her emotions.

"We've hurt each other so much after she went away, Elena. We need to stop that and forgive each other. We need to forgive, okay? I think I already forgave you before, because I still held onto those unsigned divorce papers like a lifeline. I couldn't let you go, even if you were gone already. I couldn't say goodbye to that part of my life. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you," Damon told her earnestly.

"You were an asshole."

"It was a dick move, yeah, but I still hoped that I could win you back one day. Then, I read in the papers that you were getting married to Liam over there in Los Angeles and I became desperate. I remember now that I came here after reading it, yelling at the whole world for taking away everything. I was so upset that I couldn't see straight and had my accident on the way home."

Elena gaped at him.

"You had your accident after reading about my engagement?"

Damon looked down sheepishly. "Yeah…"

Before either of them had a chance to say anything more, rain began to pour all around them, soaking them to the core.

"Great, just perfect for this moment," Elena muttered.

"Come on, let's get on home and wait this downpour out. I think I've still got some dry clothes that you left behind. Please don't go back to the hotel yet, Elena. We still need to talk."

Elena looked into his pleading eyes and relented. She was missing her plane anyways, since she had decided on coming here. Liam was already making new arrangements for a next flight.

"All right," she whispered.

They looked back at the headstone one last time, both of them placing a hand on top of it.

"We love you, little girl. We always will," Damon breathed.

Elena blinked back some more tears, seeing the 'Northfield' sign in the foggy distance. Somehow, the name didn't have such a doom and gloom feel to it anymore. She could come here to talk to her daughter.

"Come on, let's go…"

Elena looked around Damon's bedroom -her old bedroom- as he fetched her some of her old clothes. He had already laid out some towels for her and was rummaging through his closet.

"I think I've left them here somewhere," he muttered.

Elena let her hands glide among the familiar furniture, feeling odd somehow.

"Aha!" Damon said triumphantly. "I've got something right here."

He threw the clothes onto the bed and motioned for her to take them. He was still dripping in his own clothes.

"I'm going to change in Stefan's room, so take your time. You can even take a shower if you want, you know where everything is."

Elena simply looked at him, feeling a strange vibe between them at this point. She couldn't really decipher what it was, but she felt like she wanted to crawl into him and not let go for a while. She glanced at his dark, wet hair, the stubble on his cheeks, his dripping shirt and pants… and swallowed. Something inside of her needed him right now.

Damon could feel the shift as well.

"Are you going to be okay in here?" he asked, a bit awkwardly.

"I just," Elena began, as a new set of tears began to form in her eyes. "I don't know what it is, but can you just hold me for a second? I need it. Please?"

Damon looked at her dumbfounded for a second. Then, he strode into action, sweeping her up into his arms.

"It's going to be okay, baby. We'll be okay," he whispered into her matted hair.

"Promise me," she mumbled.

"I promise."

The shift in them became even stronger and afterwards, they couldn't really say who had started it all, but one moment they were hugging and the next, they were heavily kissing on their old bed. No words were ever spoken as they grabbed at each other's wet clothes, wanting to take solace in each other.

Elena felt like she couldn't kiss him hard enough. She needed more, as her tongue roughly tasted the cavern of his mouth. He groaned, his hand gliding down towards her buttock to press her close. She didn't know how it was possible, but she was already dripping at her center, rubbing herself wantonly against his crotch. She _needed_ him.

She gave up on trying to get him decently out of his shirt, so she ripped it open instead, buttons flying everywhere. Damon didn't seem to care, as he did the same to her top before he attacked a nipple. Elena held his head in place there, mewling as he sucked in earnest, her nipple feeling as if it was on fire. Then, he moved to the other breast, kissing and licking until her nipple stood up angrily, demanding attention. When he finally relented, Elena felt like she could orgasm just from him sucking on her breasts. During all this, he had managed to get her pants off in one swift motion, leaving her in nothing but her panties. He took a moment to take her in, his eyes almost black with lust.

"I don't know what it is, but I feel like, if we don't do this right now, I'm going to die," Elena cried.

"I know," Damon whispered out of breath. "I know."

Damon behaved as if he was out of time as he didn't seem to have the patience anymore to take of her panties. Instead, he ripped the crotch open and slid a finger inside of her.

"Yesss," Elena hissed, as her hips came off the bed on their own accord.

"Jesus, you're soaked!" Damon groaned.

"Then don't waste any more time and fuck me already! I can't wait much longer."

Damon didn't listen and tried to tease her some more, his finger going in and out, while adding another one. When he pressed the palm of his hand against her clit, Elena lost snapped. She knocked him over so he was on his back and ripped his pants and boxers from his body.

His cock was already jutting out proudly and Elena licked her lips, knowing he was prepared enough and she could fuck him to her heart's content. Before Damon knew what hit him, Elena had already straddled him and they both moaned in unison as she sank down hard on his member. She didn't even give him time to adjust, before she started to move on top of him, leaning forward to capture his lips in a brutal kiss.

His hands went to her ass, aiding in her movements, the sound of flesh against flesh loud in the room.

"God, that is so good!" Damon groaned, feeling how her womanhood offered no resistance and seemed to swallow him up whole. "What is happening here?"

"Don't think about it," Elena told him. "Just go with it."

Damon did just that, rolling her over and having her sit up on her knees, her back pressed to his front. Before she could react to what he was doing, he was already pummeling up inside of her again, both of them racing towards completion. The position allowed him to play with her clit and she mewled as she leaned back to kiss him.

The bed was squeaking with their lovemaking as Damon almost pounded her into the mattress. Then, he came with a loud roar, Elena close behind. They both tumbled forward, too spent to move for a while.

"What was that?" Damon breathed into the pillow.

Elena kept her eyes closed, feeling a newfound peace come over her.

"I think that was us, healing ourselves and each other…."

 **So where does this leave them? Will they get back together or was it just a way of coping with their grief? Also, the secret about Northfield is out! Let me know your thoughts in a review**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

' _When something this bad happens; when your whole world gets ripped apart and you feel like you'll never breathe without excruciating pain again, how do you go on? How do you set one foot in front of the other without collapsing? When all you want is to lay down and never get up again, what makes sure that you will….?'_

Elena lay awake watching Damon, who had dozed off to sleep for a few minutes. For the first time in what felt like forever, his face was relaxed. She felt a bit better as well. She hadn't certainly hadn't expected the way they had both handled their grief over the loss of their daughter, but she didn't regret it. It was something they had needed in that moment and to feel sorry about it was futile. Of course, Liam did cross her mind; technically, she _had_ cheated on him. She'd never cheated on anyone and this would definitely compromise the life she was living right now. But for now she couldn't worry about it, because for the first time in over four years, she felt like someone had finally sat her down and bandaged her metaphorical wounds; she felt like she had been hugged after years of not being touched.

"Are you all right?" a deep, rumbling voice asked next to her. Damon had opened his eyes again and was looking at her worriedly. She smiled at him.

"For the first time in forever, I will be."

Damon smiled back at her. "That was something, huh? I still don't know what came over us, but it helped in some way."

"It did."

"So what does this all mean, then? Where do we go from here?"

Damon sat up a bit and looked down at her. Elena bit her lip, contemplating how to answer a question she didn't know the answer to herself. The best way to handle all this was to be honest.

"I don't know," she said. "What I do know is that, for over four years, I've turned away from feeling grief over what happened to Lily. I shut the door and hid in a town where I could simply put my head in the sand. I never let it in… let _her_ in. You know, it was safe to be angry with each other… to blame each other.. Because anger is an easier emotion than grief. I didn't want to feel it. After today, I know that the only way out of grief, is to go through it. There is no other way. I need to let her in, Damon. I need to let it all in."

Her voice broke on the last few words and a single tear slid down her cheek. Damon leaned over and gently brushed it away.

"She was our baby girl. She was here and we loved her and we should never forget that," he softly spoke.

Elena nodded and glanced over at her phone. "I really need to let Liam know something. Our plane leaves in less than three hours and he must be getting worried by now."

Damon's face fell. "Are you still planning on going back to Los Angeles with him?"

"Damon.." Elena sighed. "He deserves to know the truth about everything; about what happened here and about our baby. I need to talk to him first, sort things out. Also, yes. I do need to get back to Los Angeles to do a couple of interviews. There's no postponing that. But you and I need to do some more talking as well, I get that. Just not now."

She got out of bed and put her clothes back on. "I'll talk to you real soon, I promise." With those words, she hurried out of the Salvatore house and back towards the hotel…

"Where have you been? I've called you about a dozen times, Elena. Our plane leaves in exactly two hours! We should be checking in by now," Liam confronted her as soon as she walked into their room.

"I'm sorry. A lot of things happened in the time that I was gone and I just… I think that you finally need to know why my marriage to Damon fell apart four years ago. Because that's why I was gone for so long. I did some healing."

Elena sat down on the bed and sighed.

"Healing?" Liam repeated, a bit puzzled. "Look, we can talk about it on the way to the airport. We have to leave now."

He grabbed onto their luggage and picked up the last of their stuff lying around, but Elena never moved. She remained frozen in her spot.

"I've lost a child, Liam," she finally whispered.

Liam halted instantly, turning her way. "What did you say?"

A tear slid down Elena's cheek, as she repeated her words. "I've lost a child."

Silence fell over the room, as Liam carefully put his suitcase down and sat down next to her. He waited for her to speak.

"It had been a perfect pregnancy and then… she came too soon and was too weak. I did everything I could to keep her inside, but I…."

A soft sob tore from Elena's throat as she took a deep breath.

"We named her Lily and she lived for a day. After she… I blamed myself and I blamed everyone in this world. I couldn't even look at Damon and that eventually tore us apart, because he felt the exact same way. We couldn't bear to be around each other."

Liam carefully put a hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say or do. "He remembered today," he softly stated.

"He did. We sat by her grave together and talked about her… about that time. It was as if we were finally healing… letting it all in. I could finally forgive myself and he helped with that."

"I don't see how there was anything to forgive, Elena. You did nothing wrong. Nature can be cruel and unkind, sometimes," Liam said.

"I know that now."

Elena smiled at him.

"You can always talk to me about her, you know. You don't have to hold it all in. I'm here for you."

"Look… I wasn't finished. There's more. After I'm finished telling you this, you'll probably want to get on that airplane alone and leave me behind."

Liam shook his head. "I highly doubt that, Elena. You had a moment with your soon-to-be-ex-husband. The two of you deserved that. I'm not going to hold that against you."

His words wanted to make Elena laugh hysterically, but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she wrung her hands together. This needed to be done quick, like a band aid that needed to be ripped off.

"Damon and I… we wound up having sex," she therefore blurted out.

She was afraid to look at him after that… heck, she was afraid to even twitch as she felt the movement of Liam getting up from the bed. She heard him walking over towards the window in complete and utter silence.

"I don't know what it was… I felt like I was drowning in my own grief… like I would die right on the spot if he didn't do something to help me. I'm sorry, Liam."

A loud sigh came from Liam's direction.

"I just… I don't know how to deal with all of this right now. Look, we both have business to do in Los Angeles. Let's get to that first and that'll give me some time to think about how to react to that little bombshell. I don't want to get upset with you right now, because you've obviously had a difficult day and I get that. I'm just trying to figure out if I understand how you went from that to having sex with Damon. I can't… Not right now."

Elena nodded in understanding. She got up from the bed and picked up her suitcase. "Let's go then…"

"So… You're still married to Damon, you've lost a child together and you've had sex with him while you were over there?" Caroline summoned up.

"Yep, that's pretty much it."

Caroline positively gaped at Elena. "Wow. Even for the likes of Hollywood, this is… wow."

"It's a lot to take in, I know. Liam and I still haven't properly talked about it. He's avoiding the issue."

"Can you blame him? I mean, you know I love you and I'm not here to judge you on anything, but that's a lot of bombshells you threw Liam's way. Give him some time. Heck, give yourself some time!"

Elena buried her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do."

"About Liam or about Damon?" Caroline sighed. "Look, I think you need to figure out if you slept with Damon to deal with your pain or if you…"

She deliberately let the end of that sentence trail off. Elena knew what she was getting at, though. "Or if I still love my husband?"

"Yeah," Caroline replied sheepishly. "There's a lot of history between the two of you… unresolved history, from what I hear. How come you've never told me about any of this? You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Elena bit her lip.

"Truthfully, I've never talked about Damon or Lily to anyone in the past four years. It's time that I finally do. You're right about that… or maybe I should just head for the hills for a few weeks to do some serious thinking."

"But that would be running away again, wouldn't it?" Caroline smiled at her reassuringly. "You'll be fine, sweetie. When you look at your future, who do you see there with you? That's the most important question you need to ask yourself…."

" _Are you awake?" a seductive voice asked next to her._

 _Elena smiled, keeping her eyes firmly shut. "No, but you obviously are. Stop humping my leg. That thing is the whole reason why we're so sleep deprived nowadays."_

 _He chuckled. "That isn't entirely his fault."_

" _Maybe not, but he certainly produced the one thing that_ is _to blame for all of this," Elena groaned, rolling over so her back was towards him._

 _He simply scooted closer, spooning her from behind and pressing his hardness between her ass cheeks. "Come on. We've finally got some time to ourselves. This doesn't happen very often."_

 _Elena opened her eyes and arched her eyebrows._

" _What? Sex? Or having time to ourselves?"_

" _Both," he groaned behind her. As if on cue, wailing could be heard from the room next to theirs._

" _Could you go and get her?"_

 _He sighed, finally relenting. "She is pure evil, I'm telling you."_

 _Elena rolled over onto her back as her husband left the room, only to come back a few minutes later with a crying infant. For a moment there, her heart lurched, afraid she was having another nightmare about Lily. But when her husband placed the child in her arms, she realized that this girl wasn't her._

" _We should have named her Lucy, after Lucifer. She was born to spite us."_

" _Yes, Damon. She was born to prevent us from ever having sex or a good night's sleep again. Stop whining."_

 _Elena made sure her daughter latched onto her nipple properly, watching her suckle in awe. To be able to feel a baby in her arms again after everything…_

" _Did you ever think that we would end up here?" she asked her husband. "Even after we were separated, did you still see a future with me?"_

 _Damon cuddled close next to his family and smiled._

" _Elena, I've seen it since the second I laid eyes on you. That never changed…."_

Elena padded over towards Liam, who was having coffee in the kitchen. The dream she had last night had shaken her a bit, not knowing why she had conjured up an image of her and Damon with another daughter. Her emotions were all over the place lately. She poured herself some tea before sitting opposite Liam at the kitchen table. She eyed him warily.

"Something came in the mail for you today," Liam told her, pushing a big envelope her way. "Look, before you open it, I feel like we need to talk. I wasn't fair with the way I left things. You had a hard time before we got on that airplane and I just left it there. I was shook up, yes, but it shouldn't have been about me. It should have been about you and your grief."

"It's okay, Liam," Elena gave him a small smile.

"No, it's not. Was I upset that you slept with Damon? Hell yes! But after some serious thinking, I get it now. Both of you were in a lot of pain and you needed to move on from that. If this was the way to do that… I understand it. I want to tell you that you can always talk to me about Lily. She's a big part of your life and she always will be. I love you, Elena. I still want you to be my wife… If you'll have me."

Elena released a breath she hadn't even been aware of holding in. He still wanted her?

"Think about it, okay? I know that you're still technically married to Damon, but that is easily fixed. That is, if you want to fix it. The stamp on that envelope says it's from Mystic Falls… ergo, it's from him. Read what he has to say and if you need time.. I can wait for you, Elena. I just need to know whether it's going to be him or me."

Elena nodded, before opening the envelope. The inside of it surprised her; they were divorce papers, all signed by him with a note attached to them.

 _Dear Elena,_

 _When I came to Los Angeles some time ago and realized how good you had it, I thought that the way to win you back was to make something of myself. I've been trying ever since, with the construction company and all. I've been doing real good, even if I say so myself, but I still refused to let our past go… let you go. I realize now that it's the one thing that is holding me back from really getting on with it. I need to do this for me, not for you or who I think you want me to be. I need to do this for Lily and make her real proud of who her father is. I don't think that she would approve of the way I was desperately trying to hold you into my grip. I love you, I will always love you, but I have to set you free. And hey, they say that if you love something, let it go. If it comes back one day… Well, you get the drift. Our day together at the grave.. and after.. it will always mean so much to me. That's really all I have to say about it. I know you promised me a talk after you had gotten back to Los Angeles, but that would have been over the phone with whatever message you had for me. I feel like a handwritten, heartfelt letter is better. You will always be the dear mother of my daughter and the owner of a piece of my heart. I hope life will treat you well._

 _Love,_

 _Damon._

Wow.. Elena felt tears rolling down her cheeks at his words. He really had changed a lot. So, what to do now? A pen was sitting on the table next to her and she picked it up. Her life was in Los Angeles now, Damon was right about that. Liam was her future, even if Damon would always be special to her. She took the papers in her hands and looked closely at where she needed to sign. When she had found the dotted line, she aimed her pen towards it, ready to write down her name and move on from it all.

" _It's going to be okay, baby. We'll be okay," he whispered into her matted hair._

" _Promise me," she mumbled._

" _I promise."_

Memories came flooding back to her, making her pen waver above the divorce papers.

" _Look, Damon… Just because I said that we're good doesn't mean that I don't still want that divorce. I have someone in my life now. I…"_

"Come on, Elena. Sign the papers and move on," she whispered to herself.

" _We're a part of each other and we always will be. I can feel it. You can run from it, Elena, but you can never hide. I'm in your blood as you are in mine."_

God, why was this so difficult? Damon was offering her an out! She should take it.

 _Damon was ready to put his helmet back on when he stopped to look at her one last time: "Wait, I still don't know you name."_

" _Elena," she offered without thinking._

 _He smiled that heart stopping smile again and at that moment they both knew… he had her…. and she had him….._

Finally, she threw the pen down and leaned back in her chair, more tears falling down her cheeks at the realization that she couldn't do it. Her heart had made the decision for her; it wasn't going to be Liam… it was going to be Damon…

 **A/N: So we've almost come to an end here. There is one more chapter/epilogue left and then I'm saying goodbye to fanfiction. I've taken the time to think about it and with the baby due in three months and the difficulty I've had with writing lately, I feel like it's time. I've struggled with this chapter over and over again until this came out. I do hope that you like it, it was written for those people who stuck by me ever since 2011 and after. I will never forget your support. Now, please don't forget to press that little button below ;-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9; the promise of peace**

Elena eyed the mansion in front of her nervously. The gravel path that led up to the front door… to him… stretched out before her and she hesitated. What would he say? Could they get back to where they once were? She bit her lip, pacing her feet. Maybe she should just get settled in first and book a room at the Mystic Falls Inn. Yeah, that was a good idea. She should write somewhat and calm her nerves down. Also, a bottle of alcohol would be nice before she talked to him. As she began to turn around and walk back towards her car, memories of her interview with the Hollywood Press from a few days ago invaded her mind.

" _So, the movie will be made! How do you feel about that? The book was such a grand success," the reporter squealed._

 _Elena smiled._

" _I feel honored and humbled that Hollywood thinks that my little tale was good enough to be made into some blockbuster. Also, Gerard Butler…."_

 _She winked at the reporter, letting the name resound throughout the studio._

 _The reporter threw her head back and laughed. "Ah yes, that is quite a good catch for the lead. Speaking of leading men… We've recently come across a bit of information about the men in your own life. I have to ask… How does one not know that she's still married?"_

 _The question hung heavily in the air as Elena gulped. She knew this was part of the deal about living in Hollywood and having success: people talking about you and wanting to know everything there was to know about your personal life._

" _Well, there's a simple explanation to that, actually. The man in question and I suffered an immense personal loss and needed a break from everything, including each other. We signed divorce papers, yes, but there was a glitch. It happens… especially if you aren't in your right mind due to grief."_

" _So, how does Liam Cooper feel about all this?"_

" _Liam is… he's a good man. I'm very happy that I met him," Elena answered vaguely._

 _The reporter frowned._

" _So what does that mean? Are you going to go back to your hometown and remain married or are you getting that long awaited divorce and marry Liam?"_

 _Elena gave the reporter a serious look._

" _Nobody knows what the future holds in store for us, Miss Lane. We've all got our own path to follow. In the end, all that matters is that at the end of that path, we find what we spend our entire lives looking for, hopefully with a good counterpart at our sides..."_

The reporter had instantly known that she wasn't going to get anymore answers on that part and had continued to talk about the upcoming movie. Elena smiled to herself; she was getting good at evading questions about her two men. However, the truth was, there were no two men anymore. She had come to her decision about who the counterpart at the end of her path should be.

Suddenly, her nerves were gone and she headed back towards the large house behind her. With a firm hand she knocked on the door.

"Elena?" Stefan Salvatore stood in front of her with a frown marring his features. "I thought that….. Oh, it doesn't matter what I thought. Come in! Can I get you anything?"

Elena wanted to giggle at his behavior. He was obviously taken back with her presence. When she had left, everyone had assumed that she was going back to her life in Los Angeles with Liam. In fact, she had even thought that herself. However, divorcing Damon wasn't what she wanted.

"Can you tell me where he is?" she immediately asked, not wanting to postpone this any longer.

"Uhm yeah, sure.. he's in the garage."

"Thank you."

The air was hot and humid when she reached her destination. Summer was early this year and temperatures where rising quickly, especially in this closed off garage. However, the sight in front of her was doing way more damage to her body temperature than the air outside; Damon was hunched over his Camaro, his back turned towards her. He was face first in the hood of the car, obviously fixing something.

Elena licked her lips as she eyed the swell of his backside, encased in some low-riding cargo pants. His torso was bare and droplets of sweat were slowly trickling down his back and into his, barely hidden underneath those pants, butt crack. Was it weird that she suddenly felt the urge to lick those salty drops?

Damon had the radio on and was listening to a rock version of 'enjoy the silence,' originally by Depeche Mode. The guitars echoed throughout the garage as he was lost in concentration. Elena couldn't even tell how long she had been standing there, gawking, when he finally turned around. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his arm, his eyes widening as he spotted her.

"Elena?"

God, she loved how her name came off of his lips… like a gentle caress.

She crossed her arms in front of her, leaning against the wall and trying to act casual. She wasn't feeling casual, though; her heart was pounding and her nipples were standing to attention underneath her blue tank top. That's why she was crossing her arms; he didn't need to see that.. yet. They needed to talk first.

"Why are you…"

"Here?" Elena finished the sentence for him. "Well, for a lot of reasons, actually. First off, you never gave me the chance to finish our talk with your letter and presentation of divorce papers."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her.

"Is that why you've flown all this way to see me? To finish a talk that I didn't want to have in the first place? I gave you an easy way out with that letter, Elena. You should have taken it. Where's your fiancé?"

Elena paled. Oh no, he was taking it the wrong way! She watched as he turned back around. "I don't have a fiancé, Damon. I've got a husband and I'm looking at him."

Damon continued rummaging around in that damn car, mumbling: "Is that right?"

"Yeah. Would you look at me?"

He threw his wrench on the floor and leaned his hip against the side of the car, raising his eyebrows at her. "Is this better?"

That man could be so stubborn and infuriating! He was provoking her… challenging her… it was why she loved him so. She tried not to pay attention to his glistening chest and took a deep breath. He deserved a heartfelt confession of love.

"The way I left… it wasn't fair. You and I had made love… had just begun to deal with things and I was out of here in a hurry. I should have talked to you first. I should have called Liam and explained that something had happened and that I needed time. However, that's not what I did. I ran back to a place I had called home for the past four years, only to find out that it wasn't really home for me anymore. It never was. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that it took your letter to make me see what it was what I really wanted… needed… out of life. I'm here fighting for what I want, Damon."

Damon shook his head.

"Well, what _do_ you want, Elena? Do you even know?"

Elena pushed herself off of the wall and began to walk towards him. "For a long time, my pain clouded my judgment and impacted important decisions. I let it take over my life. I know now that it's not what our daughter would have wanted. She would have wanted for me to think back on her with love and live my life to the extent of what it can be." She raised her hand up to Damon's face and touched his cheek.

"I want to live that life with you." Elena put her other hand over his heart. She saw something twitch in his cheek and she wanted to clap her hands in glee. It's what he always did when he was trying to hold back. She was getting to him.

Suddenly, he grabbed both of her hands and pushed her back against the wall behind her, locking her firmly in place. His briefly glanced at her lips, before boring his cerulean eyes into hers.

"You know what I'm all about. If you mean what you say… if you choose me, I will never let you go again. Liam will have to take a hike. You will be mine, forever," he warned her.

Elena smiled up at him.

"That's what I came here for in the first place, Damon. I want you… I want to be yours."

She could feel his breath on her face with his proximity and closed her eyes for a moment. Was he going to kiss her now? He pushed his pelvis against hers in a teasing thrust, letting her feel just how much he wanted her as well. Elena moaned.

"Take off your tank top," he suddenly whispered.

"What?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. Damon had a delectably sinful look on his face, making it clear what he had in store for her in the upcoming hours.

"I said; take off your tank top."

Elena swallowed something. "Are we going to do this right here?" she breathed.

"Yes, right here."

She grasped the hem of her top, feeling her nipples getting even harder as he watched her do this. Once the garment was over her head and on the floor, his eyes darkened.

"No bra, just as I had suspected. You really are a tease, aren't you? I never stood a chance with your nipples standing to attention, begging to be touched."

Elena's breath quickened with his words, her chest heaving.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Damon didn't have to think twice about it. He dove for one of her breasts, taking a nipple into his mouth. Elena had trouble staying on her feet as his tongue circled her aureole and flicked the tip, making delicious sensations shoot towards the V between her legs.

"Yes…," she whispered, leaning her head back against the wall.

In the meantime, Damon opened up her shorts, snaking a hand inside her already wet panties. She hissed when he touched her naked folds.

"Already soaked…"

Elena's eyes rolled back into her head as he slid two fingers inside, while his thumb pressed her clit.

"Your fault. I came in here and you were wearing that insanely low-riding cargo pants with no shirt on. You were sweaty and I could see the beginning of your butt crack. What do you expect?" she retorted.

His fingers picked up their pace as he buried his face into her neck.

"You are one to talk. You came in here, wearing a tank top with no bra on and shorts that are a tad too short to my liking. Whoever saw you in this must be having fantasies right now."

"That would be your brother, then," Elena chuckled.

Damon growled against her sweaty skin. "He'd better not be having any fantasies whatsoever or he's never walking again."

"So possessive!"

"You bet," Damon affirmed.

"I'm going to come right here if you keep this up." The feeling of an upcoming explosion began to build inside of her, as Elena felt every muscle inside her body tremble in anticipation. His fingers were touching all of the right spots inside of her and he had to put an arm around her to hold her upright.

"It's okay, baby. Come for me," he groaned. At that moment, he pressed his thumb hard against her nub again and she came apart with a loud cry, clutching his broad shoulders in sheer desperation.

"I think your brother must have heard that," Elena blushed with embarrassment.

"Good. He's about to hear a lot more."

Before Elena even had the chance to recover, Damon had her bent over the hood of the car with her shorts hanging around her ankles. His cargo pants had come off in the process as well, making it so there was nothing left between them anymore. She could feel his hard cock probing at her entrance. Since she was so wet, there was no resistance whatsoever as he slid in.

"God, how could I have lived for four years without this?" Damon exclaimed. "So tight… so sweet and wet…"

Elena had to hold on for dear life as he began to pummel her into the side of the car. It was excruciatingly good. With each stroke of his dick inside of her, she could feel her orgasm building up again. She had almost forgotten how good he was when it came to him making her come… almost.. "I'm going to come again.."

"Do it.. I'm right behind you."

That was all the encouragement she needed and they both toppled over the edge together….

"I thought you were always hell bent on keeping your Camaro spotless," Elena chuckled as they were sitting in the backseat, naked. "Right now, we've got wet spots and butt imprints and everything here."

Damon stroked the side of her face, smiling. "You mean more to me than a car, baby."

Elena winked teasingly. "Oh wow! You must really love me then."

"I do. So how are we going to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the whole Hollywood thing? You've got an upcoming movie and need to do interviews and such. I've got my company here…"

Elena snuggled closer to him and thought about it. "I don't see any problems. I'm a writer first and foremost. I can do that from here. This movie thing might be a one shot deal."

"I highly doubt it. I've read your work and you're amazing. There will be more books and movies about them, I can tell you that."

"If that happens, we can fly back and forth when we absolutely need to. But I want to live here with you. This is my home. Besides…" Elena held her breath before dropping the ultimate bomb on him. "I don't want to raise my child in Los Angeles… I want to raise it here."

She waited… and waited… she could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. Then, it clicked for him.

"Elena, are you pregnant?!"

She smiled. "Looks like nature had already made the decision for me when I was sitting down at that kitchen table, thinking about your letter and divorce papers. That's not why I chose you, though. I didn't even know I was pregnant when I finally tore up those papers and explained to Liam that I couldn't be his wife. I realized it after all that… That night when we cried at Lily's grave and were so lost… we created a new life and a new path in our grief and I couldn't be happier about it."

Elena waited for his response, which took awhile, since he seemed stumped.

"I'm going to be a father?" he finally said with a meek voice, almost too afraid to believe it.

"You are, sweetheart. You are."

Damon took her in his arms in that moment and never let her go again….

F _or years I had been guided by grief; every move that I made had been out of some way to deal with loss. Peace was the furthest thing from my mind. I worked hard and made sure I kept myself distracted. It wasn't a life… Right now, everything had come full circle and I knew which way I was headed… Home… Because that's where peace lies._

 **Author's note** **:** **The time has come to** **say goodbye to my fanfiction journey. This story was actually the perfect way to do it, since it deals with grief and then redemption and peace. Considering the way I started on this site; dealing with my own grief over my mother, I can now say that writing has helped me deal with that and that I've turned over a new leaf in life. I'm now happy together with my husband and with a baby that can and will be born any minute now (the baby's due date is in 11 days!). I'm freaking nervous about becoming a mom and also very excited. It's amazing what can happen in a little under 6 years. Thank you all for taking this journey with me and I will never forget your encouragement and support. With much love, Sandra xoxoxoxoxo**


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